T20 World Cup 2021: "India need to look to bowl wicket-taking deliveries" - Sanjay Manjrekar
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has urged the Indian bowlers to look to pick up wickets when they face New Zealand in Match 26 of the T20 World Cup 2021. The 56-year-old opined that Team India should approach the game against the Kiwis chasing wickets rather than looking to be economical.
India began their T20 WC campaign with a 10-wicket loss to arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on October 24. In that particular encounter, none of the Indian bowlers managed to pick up a wicket as the pair of Mohammad Rizwan and captain Babar Azam stitched an unbeaten 152-run stand for the opening partnership.
Sanjay Manjrekar, while previewing the crunch tie between India and New Zealand, posted a video on his official Instagram account. You can watch the video below:
Manjrekar, in his preview, mentioned that Indian seamers didn't look threatening enough against the Pakistani batters. He reckons that the Indian bowling unit should look to bowl wicket-taking deliveries. Manjrekar said:
"The Indian seamers, against Pakistan, didn't look threatening to get wickets. So India need to approach this match differently and look to bowl wicket-taking deliveries. The tactic should be of taking wickets, rather than keeping the runs down."
The former Indian batter also urged two Indian pacers in Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah to attack Kiwi batters with lethal deliveries. He said:
"Shami and Bumrah should look to bowl bouncers and yorkers, they are not swing bowlers. They should bowl at a searing pace. So if India bat first or second, they should look to take wickets."
"India shouldn't tamper too much with their batting but their bowling is a weakness" - Sanjay Manjrekar
India's loss against Pakistan has led to many talking points among cricket pundits about the Men in Blue's combination for their match against the Kiwis. Former cricketer-turned-expert Sanjay Manjrekar also gave his take on the same.
The 56-year-old urged Kohli not to tinker with the batters in the side. However, he said that India should look into their bowling department and has labeled it as India's weakness. Manjrekar said:
"I would like to say India should not tamper too much with their batting, but look at their bowling because that is where I believe they have a weakness. Not just in this tournament, but in the long-term as well. They need wicket-taking bowlers. They have two spinners, Varun - obviously a wicket-taker - but Jadeja is more economical."
Manjrekar added:
"The Indian seamers didn't look threatening enough against Pakistan. They need wicket-takers. I think Shardul Thakur will come in and take care of the wickets in the middle overs."
It remains to be seen with what combinations the MS Dhoni-mentored side will field when they face New Zealand in Dubai today (October 31). The all-important encounter between the sides is practically considered a quarter-final.