Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar reckons Team India's composition might look a bit different in the next year's T20 World Cup, considering there will be two Indian Premier League (IPL) editions before the ICC event.
As per Manjrekar, some of the established names in the Indian squad will also be challenged by players who manage to draw the attention in the upcoming IPL seasons.
The IPL 2020, which was plunged into uncertainty with COVID-19 outbreak wreaking havoc in India, is now all set to be held in UAE from September 19 to November 10.
Provided the pandemic eases and normalcy returns in the sporting world, the 14th edition of the T20 league will be played in April-May 2021.
"The last time we saw the Indian T20 team it looked a certain way but there is going to be at least 2 IPLs I think before the next T20 World Cup. So you will have a lot of these performances coming and changing the dynamics a little bit," Manjrekar said on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected show.
"People who feel cemented or established in the team, will all be challenged. It will be wonderful to watch people like Rahul who at the moment looks a certainty," he added.
Manjrekar is also looking forward to see MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant's performances in the IPL as selection debates are expected to continue in the lead up to the World Cup.
Earlier this month, the ICC confirmed that 2021 edition of T20 World Cup will be held in India between October and November.
"Rishabh Pant gets 2 IPLs to stake a claim, Dhoni will be playing 2 IPLs. So it will be fun," Manjrekar said.
The former India batsman further opined that both Pant and Sanju Samson need to come up with consistent performances in the upcoming editions of IPL since there are quite a few waiting in the wings for a spot in the Team India squad.
"People like Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, for me as an analyst watching the players and trying to make an assessment, sometimes predictions go right or wrong, they are both slightly enigmatic for me."
"Finally consistency and generally winning performances is important, there is so much cricket happening and people clamouring for a batting position.
"So, it is another big IPL and all everyone wants from them is consistency. It can't be one good innings and then 3-4 failures where it seems that you have just thrown it away."
