Sanjay Manjrekar expects India to change their lineup in the World Cup 2023 clash against Afghanistan, particularly if the game takes place on a flat pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on October 11. Expressing his views on Star Sports, Manjrekar dismisses the possibility of Ravichandran Ashwin featuring in the playing XI on such a surface.
“Unless there is a compelling reason, I don’t think Hardik Pandya should be your third seamer. If he’s the third seamer, I’m sure he feels the pressure. If the pitch resembles the one from the South Africa-Sri Lanka game, which was a batting paradise with no support for spinners, it’s doubtful that Ashwin will be included in the playing XI on such a surface,” he said.
Manjrekar envisions either Shardul Thakur or Mohammed Shami should replace Ashwin. “India will increase their batting depth unless they believe they can beat Afghanistan with excellent pace on this flat track. However, they have already played their hand very early in the World Cup. They are not really eager to lose one batter. If that is the exact same surface we receive in Delhi, the change I see is either Shardul Thakur or Mohammed Shami,” he added.
Ravichandran Ashwin joined India’s World Cup squad as a last-minute replacement for Axar Patel due to injury. Despite his notable performance of 1-34 in 10 overs in India’s World Cup opener against Australia, Manjrekar’s analysis suggests a potential change in the bowling lineup for the upcoming match against Afghanistan.