"India's batting certainly got affected by Ravindra Jadeja's absence"- Sanjay Manjrekar after Day 1 of IND vs SA 1st Test
Commenting upon Day 1 of the ongoing first Test between India and South Africa, Sanjay Manjrekar stated that the visitors missed Ravindra Jadeja's services with the bat. The Saurashtra all-rounder was ruled out of the game at Centurion with a back spasm.
The Indian team were put in to bat after the hosts won the toss. In very helpful conditions, the Indian top-order gave way, with the visitors tottering at 24/3 at one stage. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer fought back and took the score to 92, before Iyer was dismissed. Things looked bleak at 121/6, but KL Rahul's fighting 70* saw India to 208/8 at the end of day's play.
According to a statement from the BCCI, Jadeja complained of pain in his upper back, which led to him being sidelined. This also meant that India had to play Ravichandran Ashwin at No.7 and Shardul Thakur at No.8.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo after the end of play on Day 1, Sanjay Manjrekar spoke about the value that Ravindra Jadeja has for the Indian team, especially overseas:
"India's batting certainly got affected by Jadeja's absence because his overseas batting in Tests has been sensational. I don't think it will matter much with the ball as things could get interesting if the ball doesn't turn. Then you will need someone who deceives in the air and Ashwin is a better option. But if they want to score some quick runs, then they will not have something that Jadeja provides."
Sanjay Manjrekar on Nandre Burger's debut
The former Indian batsman was impressed with the way South African speedster Nandre Burger performed on his Test debut. Burger got the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill on Day 1 and looked effective from the begining of his spell.
However, Manjrekar was a bit disappointed to see that the young left-arm pacer wasn't able to keep the consistency going as he bowled more and more in the game.
"As someone who is tall, Burger already had that hit-the-deck length that you expect a South African pacer to have. However, what was interesting to see was that he was willing to bowl fuller and swing the ball away from the batters as well.
"That's exactly how he dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal. What I was disappointed with was the inconsistency. When a bowler is on debut, he needs guidance from the field and he didn't quite get that. So promising, but wayward at times."
Manjrekar also believes that in tough conditions, India have the runs on board and that he doesn't see South Africa take a massive first-innings lead.
"If this was the old South African batting line-up with the likes of Amla, Kallis, Smith, Du Plessis, I would have said even 250-300 will be less. But I feel that with this batting line-up, I will be surprised if South Africa takes a significant lead. I feel the Indian bowlers will bowl better and with more discipline. I reckon India already have a competitive score on the board and if they add 20-30 more, South Africa will be under pressure."
Kagiso Rabada was the most successful bowler on the day for South Africa, picking up a five-fer. Burger got two early wickets and then had Kohli dropped off his bowling soon after. He couldn't add to his wickets tally later in the day.