Former Indian cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar and Ravi Shastri delivered brutal verbal volleys one by one while commentating on the fifth Test between India and England. Manjrekar and Shastri mocked, ridiculed and showed the mirror to the visiting England team, which is fighting for pride in the series concluding Test match. Ben Stokes’ team has not won a single game since their magical 28-run victory in the first Test in Hyderabad.
Ravi Shastri, a renowned broadcaster in the world of cricket, is known for his blunt opinions and direct statements. His directness was in full force in the commentary booth on Day 2 of the Fifth Test here at the picturesque venue of the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala. He received support from his co-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, who loved all of Shastri’s verbal attacks on England.
Ravi Shastri asks England to outsource Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma and entire Indian bowling attack, supports Manjrekar
Former Indian cricketer, team manager and head coach offering gems through his commentary is nothing new. From voicing Men in Blues’ triumph in the 2007 T20 World Cup to bringing life to MS Dhoni’s six-time CWC win at Wankhede, Ravi Shastri has been a part of every major event.
And now with England on the brink of a 4-1 defeat, Shastri asked the England management to outsource some Indian players. He was speaking to Sanjay Manjrekar in the context of how difficult it is for foreign teams to achieve a victory in a red-ball series on Indian soil.
They also mentioned that the current England team is nowhere near the level of Sir Alastair Cook’s England in 2012, when they defeated India 2-1 in a 4-match Test series. Shastri opined that England will need to bring in Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma and the entire Indian bowling unit to claim a Test series here.
“To beat India in India, England needs the entire Indian bowling attack. They need a Yashasvi Jaiswal, a Rohit Sharma and a couple of others.” – Said Ravi Shastri during the commentary through Jio Cinema with his voice always sure of him.
Sanjay Manjrekar then responded with a sly smile in his tone as he said, “Basically, they need to outsource resources.”
Ravi Shastri agreed with Manjrekar on his outsourcing claim, stating that England have not even been able to “tickle” Rohit Sharma’s team and that winning a Test series here is a long way off. “Absolutely. And it’s not new. It’s been for a long time. 2012 was the last time England won a series in India and since then, they haven’t even been able to tickle India, let alone win a series.” – concluded Shastri .
Throwback to Shastri’s comments during India’s batting performance in the 2nd Test against South Africa
Since we are talking about the gems of Ravi Shastri’s comments, it is a perfect time to remember his comments when India were bowled out for 153 in the second Test against South Africa in January. The Indians had lost 5 wickets in the space of 33.1 to 34.5 overs without scoring a single run.
That intrigued Shastri and he said, “If someone went around the corner in search of a dustbin and came back, India will have been bowled out for 153.”