T20 hero, but no entry in ODIs? Why did Sanjay Manjrekar give this big statement about Tilak Verma:

News India Live, Digital Desk: Indian Cricket Team: There are only a few days left for the Asia Cup to start and there has been a debate about Team India’s playing XI. On the one hand, while the young batsman Tilak Verma is being raised a lot of expectations, former Indian cricketer and well-known commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has given a statement which has started a new discussion in the cricket world. Manjrekar believes that Tilak Verma should not be given a place in the playing XI of the Asia Cup yet.

T20 stars, but are you ready for ODI?

Tilak Verma has won everyone’s heart with his strong performance in T20 cricket. He is currently the world’s number 2 T20I batsman and recently he performed brilliantly in the T20 series against Sri Lanka. But Sanjay Manjre Kar argues that the performance of T20 should not be measure to make a place in the ODI team.

According to Manjrekar, “We should not be very excited about the T20 performance. ODI cricket is a completely different format. Experienced players like Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, who have been doing well for India in the middle order for a long time, should get a chance.”

Why did Manjrekar advocate to keep Tilak out?

Manjrekar, while further clearly, said that the confidence that the Indian team management has shown on Rahul and Iyer should be maintained. He said, “The inclusion of Tilak Verma directly into the playing XI will be injustice to the players who have confirmed their place in the ODI team for the last few years. We should not choose ODI team based on T20.”

His indication was clear that Team India should take into the field with its tried and experienced players. According to Manjrekar, KL Rahul has a great record at number 5 and Shreyas Iyer has also proved himself at number 4. In such a situation, it will not be right for a young player to replace these established batsmen.

However, Tilak Verma’s fans and many cricket experts do not agree with Manjrekar’s opinion. He believes that Tilak’s current form and his left -handed batting can give a new strength to the middle order of the team.

Now it will be interesting to see what captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid think on this debate and whether the world’s number 2 T20 batsman gets a chance to make his ODI debut in the Asia Cup.