Manjrekar Advocates for India to Prioritize ‘Best Bowlers’ Regardless of Conditions

LEEDS: Following India’s five-wicket loss in the opening Test against England at Headingley, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has called for the exclusion of pacer Shardul Thakur.

Thakur’s struggles were apparent as he bowled only six overs in the first innings, giving away 38 runs. In the second innings, he managed to take two wickets for 51 runs, including that of Ben Duckett, who scored a century.

Thakur’s selection for the first Test was largely due to his potential to contribute with the bat lower down the order. However, he only managed to score one and four runs in the first and second innings, respectively.

As a result, Sanjay Manjrekar has suggested that Indian captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir replace Thakur with spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

He further emphasized that India should prioritize their ‘best bowlers’, regardless of the playing conditions, and reiterated his support for Yadav’s inclusion in the second Test, which is scheduled to take place in Birmingham from July 2 to 6.

“I’m sorry but Shardul Thakur has to go out,” Manjrekar stated.

“I think Kuldeep Yadav has to come back. I’m sorry to say, but That is one change India will have to make. As for Nitish Kumar Reddy — I backed him for the first Test purely based on what he did in Australia.

“It’s an unpopular choice because when he comes in, the balance does get affected a bit. He won’t quite bowl like a fourth seamer, so India needs to take a hard call: even in English conditions, they must go with quality bowlers.

“If that means playing two spinners, so be it. Pick your best bowlers, irrespective of the conditions. You don’t have the luxury of someone like Mohammed Shami available, or the full-strength pace battery, so I’d go one seamer short and bring Kuldeep Yadav into the XI.”