Sanjay Manjrekar has urged Rohit Sharma to avoid using T20-style tactics in Test cricket
Former India opener Sanjay Manjrekar criticized questionable decision during the final innings of the Pune Test and urged Rohit Sharma to avoid using T20-style tactics in Test cricket, emphasizing the need for a different strategy in the longer format.
Manjrekar shared his thoughts on ESPNcricinfo after India’s 113-run defeat to New Zealand in the second Test at the MCA Stadium. The loss ended India’s 12-year unbeaten streak in home Test series. Despite Yashasvi Jaiswal’s determined 77-run effort, India’s batting lineup crumbled on Day 3 while chasing a target of 359.
To keep a left-right batting pair at the crease, Washington Sundar was sent in to bat before Sarfaraz Khan after Rishabh Pant got run out. But Sanjay Manjrekar was not happy with captain Rohit Sharma’s decision to send Sundar ahead of Sarfaraz.
“India backed themselves, batted first but 46 all out is a problem. It should have been a 180 all out, the series would have panned out differently. But I would say this though, that move to have Sarfaraz Khan bat down the order and sending Washington Sundar above him because he is a left-hander, those kind of things shouldn’t happen. It’s just bizarre. That’s one thing that Rohit Sharma needs to be careful of,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.
“The T20 kind of thinking like those matchups, you should go by the overall quality of players,” he added.
Sanjay Manjrekar also said that head coach Gautam Gambhir shouldn’t be blamed for the loss since a coach has limited influence on the team’s performance. However, he praised Gambhir for selecting Washington Sundar in the playing XI.
“I will still maintain that the coach has the minimal influence on a team. He does not set foot on the ground, the captain is in-charge out there. But you have to applaud him for Washington Sundar’s selection, which was an immediate hit,” Manjrekar said.
India’s series loss to New Zealand has made their path to the World Test Championship (WTC) final more challenging. The third and final Test against New Zealand will start on November 1 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This match is very important for India, as their chances of making it to the WTC final are still at stake. To keep those hopes alive, India must win this game.
Following the Mumbai Test, India will face Australia in a five-match Test series next month. Including the upcoming match in Mumbai, India has six critical games left, and to keep their WTC final hopes alive, they must win at least four of them.
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