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Sanjay Manjrekar was not pleased with Indian team management’s decision to send Washington Sundar ahead of Sarfaraz Khan in the second inning of the 2nd Test.
Sanjay Manjrekar questions Rohit Sharma’s tactics in 2nd Test. (Picture Credit: AP)
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar was not pleased with India’s decision to promote Washington Sundar to bat at No. 6 in the second inning of the second Test against New Zealand, which was played at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Saturday (October 27). To maintain the left-right combination at the crease, Sundar walked out to bat ahead of Sarfaraz Khan after Rishabh Pant got run out. But captain Rohit Sharma’s tactics to send Sundar over Sarfaraz didn’t go down well with Manjrekar, who warned the Indian skipper against using T20 tactics in the five-day format of the game.
While speaking on the ESPNCricinfo show after India suffered a 113-run defeat in the second Test to concede the series, Manjrekar said, “India backed themselves; they batted first, but 46 all out is a problem. It should have been a 180 all-out; the series would have panned out differently. But I would say this though that move to have Sarfaraz Khan bat down the order and sending Washington Sundar above him because he is a left-hander—those kinds of things shouldn’t happen. It’s just bizarre. That’s one thing that Rohit Sharma needs to be careful of.”
“The T20 kind of thinking, like those matchups, you should go by the overall quality of players,” he added.
The 59-year-old Manjrekar, who played 37 Tests and 74 ODIs for India during his playing days, also feels that India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir should not be blamed for the shocking defeat in the Test series against New Zealand. According to him, the coach has a “minimal influence on the team.”
“I will still maintain that the coach has the minimal influence on a team. He does not set foot on the ground; the captain is in charge out there. But you have to applaud him for Washington Sundar’s selection, which was an immediate hit,” said Manjrekar.
“But the move to send him ahead of Sarfaraz Khan or maybe four spinners here would have made more sense. But to put any kind of responsibility on the door of Gautam Gambhir would be terribly unfair because until now we can’t do it because in cricket, a coach has minimal influence on performances,” he added.
