"Kuldeep Yadav should not be dropped so easily" - Sanjay Manjrekar urges Indian think tank to pick the wrist-spinner for 2nd Test vs Bangladesh
Sanjay Manjrekar opined that Kuldeep Yadav should have been part of India's playing XI in the side's recently concluded Test series opener against Bangladesh in Chennai. He emphasized that even a green Indian pitch tends to support spinners after the first day.
The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that a proven campaigner like Kuldeep didn't deserve to be dropped. Hoping that the team management picks the left-arm spinner for the upcoming second and final Test of the Bangladesh series, Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo:
"I feel Kuldeep Yadav should not be dropped so easily. I believe that even if it was not a turner, India would have benefited from playing Kuldeep Yadav in Chennai because the seamers will get help for just one or one-and-a-half days on an Indian pitch. It starts supporting spinners after that and when you have a bowler like Kuldeep Yadav, you should not keep him out this easily.
"India should go with this approach in Kanpur. Even if it's a green top and the sun is out, they should keep in mind that the green top will be just for the first few hours, and Siraj and Bumrah are enough for that. When you have three proven spinners, you should play all of them." Manjrekar added.
India beat Bangladesh by 280 runs in Chennai to go 1-0 up in the two-match series. Ravichandran Ashwin was adjudged the Player of the Match for his all-rounder heroics. He scored 113 runs in the first innings and claimed a stunning six-wicket haul in the final innings of the match.
"It was a mistake to not make them play red-ball cricket" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Team India's senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed to make a significant impact with the bat in the Chennai Test. Sanjay Manjrekar backed the two ace batters to regain their form.
However, he suggested that India missed the trick by not making Sharma and Kohli play in the Duleep Trophy 2024. Reckoning that featuring in the domestic competition would have helped the seasoned campaigners gear up for the Bangladesh series, Manjrekar remarked:
"If you look at the form in just Test cricket, Virat Kohli is coming in with very good form. His last Test series was against South Africa where he was India's best player. But one lesson that Indian cricket has learned is that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are big names and experienced players, but they are still humans. Because they play less red-ball cricket compared to white-ball cricket, when such a series comes, there is need for some match practice. Sunil Gavaskar always used to say this.
"Sachin Tendulkar also had to play a Ranji Trophy match when there was a dip in his form. Form will come, but I believe that when you are ageing, you need to be more prepared. It was a mistake to not make them play red-ball cricket, especially when there was the option of the Duleep Trophy."
Skipper Rohit Sharma registered scores of 6 and 5, while Virat Kohli finished with scores of 6 and 17 in the Chennai Test. The second and final Test of the series will be played in Kanpur from September 27.