New Delhi, May 31 (IANS): Sanjay Manjrekar, the former India batter, believes that with short square boundaries offered in the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup, having a left-right batting combination becomes crucial. At the same time, Manjrekar feels that India is slightly hampered on this front. India have four left-handed batting options in Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja, with Rinku Singh sitting in traveling reserves.

“I think there are a couple of limitations that this Indian team has. One is obviously not enough left-hand right-hand combination batters at the top, because Virat Kohli is now part of the playing eleven.”

“He has to be in the playing eleven, plus he has to open the batting. So, to get Yashasvi Jaiswal is going to be difficult, so that is one problem. Having a left-hand right-hand combination I think is crucial. I know there have been two left-handers like Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head (in IPL 2024) doing well for a certain franchise (Sunrisers Hyderabad).”

“But down the order, if you look at the 50 overs World Cup as well (last year), India had six right-handers before they had a Jadeja (left-handed batter). I think it's something that they have to get in, considering the points that you made,” said Manjrekar, a Star Sports Expert for the Men's T20 World Cup, to IANS.

Often having a mix of left-right batting combinations proves to be beneficial for a side, as it helps unsettle the bowlers who are required to make constant adjustments to their lines and lengths, angles, and width at the crease.

For the ninth edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup, happening in the West Indies and the USA, the wind factor, where venues are totally open, and short square boundaries is key via a left-right batting combination. It also means hitting boundaries constantly and targeting shorter boundaries will be crucial for batting sides.

“But the way the squad has been selected, like for example, if you want Rishabh Pant as a left-hander, then who is your number three? Because you want Sanju Samson as well to come in at number three. So by the kind of players that they have picked, selecting the playing eleven is going to be tough.”

“Having a left-hand right-hand combination, with short square boundaries around, becomes really important, as it's a vital tactical play. India is slightly hampered here with the kind of combination that they have. But I think as the tournament goes on, towards the end, you might see them being forced to have that left-hand right-hand combination, more sort of frequent and thorough in their batting order,” concluded Manjrekar.

India is set to play their lone warm-up game against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 1. Their Men’s T20 World Cup campaign begins on June 5 against Group A opponents Ireland in New York, followed by a highly-anticipated clash against Pakistan at the same venue on June 9.

India will then face co-hosts USA on June 12 in New York, before going to Florida to take on Canada on June 15 for wrapping up their Group A league matches. India, captained by Rohit Sharma, were the inaugural winners of the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007 and are aiming to claim the silverware for just the second time in the history of participating in the competition.