In reply to Manjrekar's 'Rohit, Kohli have to prove themselves' remark, Pathan breaks the 'India 2007 T20WC squad' myth
While speaking, Manjrekar admitted that while he understood that India is desperate to end their ICC trophy drought, he feels the return of Rohit and Kohli to T20I cricket should depend entirely on their form in the format. He explained that while Kohli will have to prove himself against the likes of the young batters who were picked for the Australia series, Rohit will be in competition with Hardik Pandya.
Manjrekar said, “We are maybe playing slightly different cricket in the final stages of World Cups. When something goes out of your hand, simplify it. Pick your team based on its form close to the World Cup. Virat Kohli will have to show that he is a better option than the youngsters who are playing currently, and Rohit Sharma as T20 batter and captain vs. Hardik Pandya, the T20 batter, all-rounder, and captain."
Pathan, who was part of the discussion as well, disagreed with Manjrekar's notion and felt that a team should have a blend of youth and experience.
Pathan said, “I feel the Indian team should combine experience and youth. When we won the last T20 World Cup in 2007, many said it was a young and inexperienced team that won the title, but that wasn't it. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir had been playing for a while then. Me and Dhoni were also part of the team for almost four years. There were also Ajit Agarkar, Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh. So you have to combine experience with youth, especially for those conditions where batting gets a bit tricky.”
“I agree with experience, but if you remember that T20 World Cup win, it was Joginder Sharma who won that final for us.”