Sanjay Manjrekar feels ‘sorry’ for India star, senior player pulls out of IND vs PAK practice session due to viral fever

Cricket fans will be glued to their television sets as India take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their upcoming Champions Trophy fixture, in Dubai on Sunday. It will be a blockbuster showdown, and the pre-match drama has also been filled with political tensions, due to which India are playing all their matches in Dubai. (IND vs PAK LIVE SCORE) Sanjay Manjrekar made a big prediction.(AP and Getty Images)

Rohit Sharma and Co. began their campaign with a win, and are now second in Group A. The match saw Gautam Gambhir make a huge decision as KL Rahul took over the first-choice wicketkeeper role, benching fan-favourite Rishabh Pant. Meanwhile, the India head coach has also clarified that Pant will need to wait for his chance.

‘Sorry situation’: Sanjay Manjrekar

Analysing the decision, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar predicted that Rahul would retain his place in the playing XI, and also felt sorry for Pant.

Speaking to JioCinema, he said, “India were pretty good (against Bangladesh), most boxes got ticked. I don’t see drastic changes if the pitch doesn’t demand. Kuldeep (Yadav) needs a little more game time. Rahul got some runs, so I don’t think any new wicketkeeper-batter is going to replace him.”

“Till Rahul is contributing, Pant will stay out but Pant is a rare talent for India. It’s a sorry situation for him,” he added.

Pant also missed a training session before the upcoming match, and Gill revealed the reason, claiming that the wicketkeeper-batter is suffering from viral fever.

For Pakistan, they are in danger of getting eliminated. Having begun their tournament with a defeat to New Zealand in the opener, they need a miracle and have to defeat India to bring their campaign back on track. The hosts are bottom of Group A, behind third-placed Bangladesh. India have won their last 11 completed ODIs vs Pakistan, and that could serve as a huge motivation factor for Rohit Sharma and Co.

Pakistan will also be reliant on their pace battery against the Indian batting order, and hope that Babar Azam, Rizwan find form.

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