Former India player turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has commented on India batter Karun Nair ahead of the third Test against England. The game, which will be played at Lord’s, begins on Thursday, July 10. Sanjay Manjrekar said that Karun Nair was not a number 3 batter for him. Karun, who came back into the Test team on the back of a stunning domestic season, batted at number three in the second Test but scored 31 and 26 in the two innings, respectively. And, Manjrekar backed Sai Sudharsan to get more opportunities as well.
“There were some very interesting selections made in the last game which I didn’t agree with. In the end a win can put a cover on those decisions. I thought Sai Sudharsan, after just one match, to be left out considering he is a young player that we are looking at the future. He played pretty okay in the second innings. I’d like to stick with him but this team management is not afraid to chop and change depending on the vibe,” he said on ESPN Cricinfo.
“But I would like to see Sai Sudharsan at number three. Karun Nair is not a number three player in my book. It is unfair to drop him after one Test if everyone is getting big hundreds. I think Sai deserves that opportunity as well,” he further added.
Ahead of the third Test, Sanjay Manjrekar also said that India needed to be careful about their batting as Jofra Archer was back in England’s playing XI for the third Test. However, he also added that Shubman Gill scored big hundreds in both innings of the second Test, and had he not scored, it would have been difficult for India to win the game as well.
“I’d like to see India being pragmatic and realistic about how good the team is. They’ve got to still be careful about their batting. Shubman Gill got these big hundreds and made sure that India could win the Test match. I’m just imagining him getting 103 and 104, and it would have been tough to win the Test. He has taken care of a lot of those issues. India need to make sure that the batting is in place. Perhaps a changed England attack will have more sharpness and potency,” Sanjay Manjrekar concluded.
