India tour of Sri Lanka: Sanjay Manjrekar names his Playing XI for T20I series; excludes Kuldeep-Chahal

The limited-overs regulars such as Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Bhuvneshwar Kumar are likely to make it to the limited-overs squad which will reportedly be coached by former India captain Rahul Dravid. The three-match ODI series will begin on July 13, followed by as many T20Is from July 22.

India tour of Sri Lanka: Probable India squad for limited-overs series

Speculations are rife over who all are going to be included in the Indian side. However, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has picked up his T20I squad and believes the second-string attack will be able to give stiff competition to the Sri Lankan side.

While Dhawan and Pandya look the only certainty for the Indian side, speculations are rife over who all are going to be included in the side. Young guns like Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, N Jagadeesan, Chetan Sakariya might get rewarded for a good show in the IPL 2021.

In an interaction with ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar picked Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw as the openers for the side. Both Dhawan and Shaw looked in fine touch during the IPL 2021 for their franchise Delhi Capitals.

He included Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya in the middle-order. The cricketer-turned commentator also included all-rounder Rahul Tewatia in his probable eleven. For bowlers, the Mumbaikar picked senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with young guns Deepak Chahar, Chetan Sakariya. He included spinner Rahul Chahar in the side. Manjrekar named Sakariya as his ‘out of the box’ player.

“I am really impressed with this guy (Chetan Sakariya). He has got all the deliveries to bowl at various stages. So, I really want to see him tested at the international level, and let’s hope he becomes another exciting option for India,” said Manjrekar.

Here is Sanjay Manjrekar’s India’s T20I XI for SL series: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, Chetan Sakariya, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.