"I am slightly worried about the batting" - Sanjay Manjrekar says Rohit and Pujara are the only 2 Indian batters who give him confidence
Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed slight concerns over India's batting heading into the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Rohit Sharma and Co. will face Australia in the title decider at The Oval in London from Wednesday, June 7. They will hope to go one better than their runner-up finish in the last WTC cycle.
During a discussion on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan', Manjrekar was asked about his thoughts on India's squad for the WTC final, to which he responded:
"When I see this squad, I see the quality in bowling. India's problem will only be their batting. I feel this is a bowling attack that can trouble Australia's batters in England. I am slightly worried about the batting."
Manjrekar added that barring Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara, there are question marks over the form of the rest of the Indian batters:
"If you see the top six and their current form and imagine that they are playing in England, who gives you the confidence - Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara is once again a reliable player. Barring these two, there is a slight question mark on the others based on their form."
Gill, who is likely to open with Rohit, has been in exceptional form across formats in recent times but has an indifferent record in the two Tests he has played in England.
While Virat Kohli's century in India's last Test against Australia was his first since November 2019, Ajinkya Rahane hasn't played a Test match since January 2022.
"Bowling can probably bring India back into the game" - Sanjay Manjrekar
However, Sanjay Manjrekar feels India's bowling can help them stage a comeback in the game, elaborating:
"Bowling can probably bring India back into the game. You said there is one Test match, so there are fewer chances of making a comeback but Test match cricket is such that if you don't play well in the first two days and you improve your game later, a comeback can happen."
The former Indian batter was also asked about his prediction for the WTC final, to which he replied:
"Australia start off as the stronger side to begin with, but I have tremendous faith in the quality of Indian bowling and they could upset the applecart."
While Aaron Finch predicted an Australian win, Irfan Pathan picked Pat Cummins and Co. as 55-45 favorites.