Former Indian National Cricket Team player Sanjay Manjrekar has jumped to the defense of the Indian batsmen following their failure in the first innings of the ongoing test match against the New Zealand National Cricket Team.
The Indian batsmen put up a terrible performance in the first innings of the second Test match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune and were bowled out for 156 in 45.3 overs.
We can’t be too critical of today’s batsmen – Sanjay Manjrekar
India’s innings started on a disappointing note as captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck on the first day. On the second day, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal failed to play big innings and were dismissed after scoring 30 runs each.
The middle-order batsmen also continued to struggle against the New Zealand bowlers as Virat Kohli (1), Rishabh Pant (18) and Sarfaraz Khan (11) came out without scoring any big runs. However, all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja (38) and Washington Sundar (18) contributed crucial runs that helped the hosts post a respectable total on the scoreboard.
After a poor show, the Indian batsmen faced heavy criticism, with many experts criticizing their poor defensive technique, due to which they were unable to cope with the menace of spin bowling.
However, Manjrekar thinks otherwise. According to the cricketer-turned-commentator, it is wrong to be “overly critical” of the defensive skills of today’s batsmen in Tests because they are mainly used to playing T20 cricket, where defense is of no use.
“We cannot be too critical of today’s batsmen when it comes to defensive skills in Tests. Let us not forget that T20 is the most ‘current’ format today. And defense is useless there,” wrote Sanjay Manjrekar in its official name X.
We cannot be too critical of today’s batsmen when it comes to defensive skills in Tests. Let’s not forget that T20s is the most “current” format today. And the defense there is useless.
– Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) October 25, 2024
I greatly fear India’s proud unbeaten home run is over – Harsha Bhogle
After India’s horrible show with the bat, veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle resorted to his official nickname X to claim that the home team will have to do something extraordinary to save the Test against the Kiwis. He stated:
“India will have to do something extraordinary, something very special, to save this game. This is a potentially winning advantage. That proud home record is seriously threatened by a team of intelligent and modest cricketers.”
Meanwhile, at the end of the day, when New Zealand took a 301-run lead, Bhogle felt that the Test match had slipped out of India’s hands. He stated:
“I very much fear that India’s proud unbeaten run at home is over. If New Zealand wins 2-0, it will rank alongside Sri Lanka who defeated South Africa a few years ago as the most unlikely away win.”
I very much fear that India’s proud unbeaten streak at home has ended. If New Zealand win 2-0, they will join Sri Lanka who beat South Africa a few years ago as the most unlikely away win.
—Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 25, 2024
What was the need to prepare a playing field like this? -Dodda Ganesh
Meanwhile, former Indian national cricket team player Dodda Ganesh expressed disappointment with the pitch produced for the Pune Test. He wrote in X:
“What was the need to prepare for a launch like this? There was no need to panic after a single loss. Now India is on the wrong side #INDvNZ.”
Furthermore, he highlighted a delivery that hit Ravichandran Ashwin very low and stated:
“The ball hitting Ashwin so low speaks volumes. On a second day pitch it can’t be happening. As far as India is concerned: you reap what you sow #INDvNZ.”
The ball he hit so low to Ashwin says a lot. On a second day release that can’t be happening. As far as India is concerned: you reap what you sow #INDvNZ
-Dodda Ganesh Dodda Ganesh (@doddaganesha) October 25, 2024