T20 World Cup 2021: Sanjay Manjrekar's vision: Suryakumar Yadav should bat at No 3

Mumbai, July 9: Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said since skipper Virat Kohli is likely to open with Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav is an ideal candidate for the number three slot.

Kohli and Rohit Sharma had opened for in the fifth match of the home T20I series against England in March this year, raising a 94-run partnership. They had also opened together in 2014 against New Zealand.

Manjrekar also felt that Suryakumar could be the front-runner for the number three spot, which otherwise belongs skipper Kohli.

"Yes, I think he (Surya) is one of the front-runners, especially with the news coming out that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are going to be India's openers. There could be a number three slot open for me," Manjrekar said during a virtual interaction.

"I don't know what plan they have with (KL) Rahul, there certainly is a place for someone like Suryakumar Yadav. I have rarely seen somebody bat like that in the IPL for the whole season and even more, the kind of batsmanship we have seen.

"And makes him an ideal number three, he can hit good balls for fours, certainly one of the options," he added.

The T20 World Cup has been moved to UAE and Oman from India. The event scheduled to begin from October 17.

Talking about the upcoming series agianst Sri Lanka, starting July 13, Manjrekar said he would prefer a more consistent Ishan Kishan instead of Sanju Samson.

"Ishan Kishan is my choice, purely because I am going for the more consistent batter. In ODI cricket keeping is not as crucial as it is in Test matches, in T20s it is not that vital, so you are really making a choice of a better batter," Manjrekar said.

"Samson is incredible when he gets going, there is nobody better than him but consistency is a very important criteria for me and that is where I would like to back somebody like Ishan Kishan before I look at Sanju Samson," he added.

According to the former batsman, the Sri Lanka tour will also be important for spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

"I am actually very happy with the way the selection has been made. It is nice to see that Kuldeep Yadav has been brought back. In the last year or in a couple of years, he lost his place. In the Indian white ball team, there was a time he was a game-changer along with (Yuzvendra) Chahal. It is nice that the selectors have given him the opportunity to stake his claim, because he hardly plays for IPL team.

"He has a chance and he will have to compete for a place in that Indian T20 World Cup side. He has to prove that he can be a better option," added Manjrekar.

Manjrekar also felt that all-rounder Hardik Pandya can play solely as a batsman in the team, having done so in the last season against Australia.

"Hardik proved himself in Australia that he is perfectly capable of playing in the team as a pure batter, there is no doubt now that he can do that," he said.

"I am also reading reports that he has started bowling as well. His bowling, all the more-better for India. He has shown that he has the ability to walk into the team as a pure batter in white-ball cricket," added Manjrekar.