Former Indian batter, Sanjay Manjrekar has opined that the veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will need to up his game in order to force the Indian team management to include him ahead of either Hardik Pandya or Dinesh Karthik. Jadeja has been one of the most consistent red-ball cricketers in modern-day cricket, and the last 3-4 years have seen him improve drastically in the shorter formats as well.
Ravindra Jadeja has become a dependable lower-order batter for the men in blue and he has played some of the crucial knocks for the team. However, he has not been able to be consistent with the ball in hand and is playing the role of batting all-rounder in the shortest format of the game at the moment.
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Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted that the veteran all-rounder’s place in the team is no longer guaranteed since the re-emergence of Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik.
During a recent chat with Sports18, Sanjay Manjrekar said, “If he is going to be a batting all-rounder, then he has got to show that he is an adequate replacement to somebody like a Dinesh Karthik, who is likely to bat at No. 6 or No. 7, or somebody like Hardik Pandya at No. 6.”
Team India will most likely go include Yuzvendra Chahal in their final XI as a spinner and Ravindra Jadeja’s place as the second spinning option in the team is under threat by Axar Patel, who showcased his explosive batting skills in the recently concluded series against the West Indies. Sanjay Manjrekar reckoned that Jadeja will have to prove his bowling skills if he wants to make it in the team ahead of Axar.
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Sanjay Manjrekar elaborated, “Ravindra Jadeja himself knows there is some serious competition coming in. So it is really about Jadeja now convincing the selectors whether he is going to be a bowling all-rounder or a batting all-rounder. Depending on that, his place on the team will be decided. If he is competing as a bowling all-rounder, he has got to convince the team management that he is better than Axar Patel as a second spinning option.”
