Former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar talked about his preferred top three of the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 which will be played in Australia in October-November.

Manjrekar opined that he would love to see keeper Rishabh Pant opening the innings with captain Rohit Sharma given all the experiments that the national team has been doing.

With KL Rahul out of contention with injuries since the IPL 2022, Indian team management tried various combinations at the top with Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, and Rishabh Pant opening the innings.

As neither of them has been convincing enough as an opener, Rahul is likely to open with Rohit when the T20 World Cup begins in Australia in October.

In a chat with Sports18, Manjrekar was asked about his views on India's top three.

ZIM v IND 2022: KL Rahul cleared to play; set to lead Team India in 3 ODIs against Zimbabwe

“Not answering that. It’s a tough one, really tough because there are some serious contenders there. That’s why these matches before the T20 World Cup are so important. KL Rahul has to be part of the T20 team. So has to be Virat Kohli just because of the stage and the pressure that comes in. It’s going to be a tough one. We have seen Suryakumar Yadav bat in the top three, we have seen Rishabh Pant bat in the top three. These are all very exciting options, so let’s see how it goes,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.

Manjrekar added that while he loves the idea of Pant opening with Rohit, the trio of Kohli, Rahul and Surya have better prospects of doing so.

“I love that idea of Rishabh Pant opening with Rohit Sharma. So that is something I am excited about, the possibility is there. It’s such a difficult one. You have got Virat Kohli, you have got KL Rahul, you have got Suryakumar Yadav and I think these are the three serious contenders. I am stumped,” he said.