Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar hailed Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul as the perfect middle-order maestros for Team India in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Manjrekar further attributed Rahul and Iyer’s prowess to gracefully absorb the pressure of dot balls, and that’s something that makes them the perfect choice for the Men in Blue for the middle order.
Notably, in a spectacular display of their batting finesse, both Iyer and Rahul notched centuries and helped Team India post a 410/4 against the Netherlands in a World Cup 2023 match in Bengaluru.
Sanjay Manjrekar told Star Sports, “Shreyas was the ideal man for India to have at that position and KL Rahul as well because these are guys who are not going to get under pressure because there have been four or five dot balls, and then you play a high-risk big shot to release the pressure.”
The commentator further said, “These are guys who will tick off the singles despite five fielders being inside the circle. These are guys who have different gears.”
Meanwhile, Manjrekar also lauded India’s batting pedigree, as Rahul, Iyer, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Rohit Sharma have all been delivering with the bat for India in the ongoing World Cup 2023.
He signed off by saying, “The batting pedigree is showing - KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma, everyone who plays Test cricket as well for India. There is so much to admire and marvel at with this batting lineup. Finally, what comes to my mind is just the batting pedigree. These guys have batted a lot in different formats.”
Notably, Iyer has scored 421 runs in 9 innings while Rahul amassed 347 runs for the Men in Blue so far in the tournament. India will be taking on New Zealand in the first semifinal on November 15.
(With PTI/Star Sports)
