"England made sure that India prepared better pitches" - Sanjay Manjrekar on IND vs ENG Test series
Sanjay Manjrekar believes that England winning the opening encounter in Hyderabad forced India to prepare better pitches for the remaining four matches of the recently concluded five-match series.
The former cricketer opined that the visitors dominated India on a rank-turner, leading to the hosts avoiding having similar pitches for the subsequent fixtures. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar said:
"England made sure that India prepared better pitches. Better pitches in the sense that pitches that didn't turn as much, because of what they did in Hyderabad. I think that was a fantastic win, and that's the big takeaway for England in the way they beat India in the very first exposure on a typical turner."
"You saw the Indian spinners for the first time rattled in a home series in the way the England batters played, and 420 in the second innings by England on that pitch just made sure that India didn't again venture making another turner like that," he added
England secured a 28-run win in the first Test in Hyderabad. India bounced back in stunning fashion following the early setback, claiming four successive victories to win the series 4-1.
"Complacency as a trait in Indian cricket disappeared a long time back" - Sanjay Manjrekar
The recently concluded fifth Test at Dharamsala was a dead rubber, given that India had already gained an unassailable 3-1 lead ahead of the encounter.
Sanjay Manjrekar mentioned that while the home side had won the series, he did not expect them to be complacent in the final Test. Suggesting that India's approach has changed drastically since Virat Kohli became the captain after MS Dhoni, he said:
"Complacency as a trait in Indian cricket disappeared a long time back. Post MS Dhoni, when Virat Kohli took charge of the Indian team, and when going was also tough, the spirits have never been down with that Indian team, and you see that especially when they are in the field. So, that was not going to happen."
The Men in Blue won the Dharamsala Test by an innings and 64 runs. They are currently the table-toppers in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table after having won six of their nine games in the 2023-25 cycle.