Former India player turned veteran commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has urged the team management to take some tough calls before the second Test against England in Birmingham, which starts on Wednesday, July 2. The veteran also believes India should only play one pacer from Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, picking the latter between the two as well.
Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo’s YouTube channel: “(Siraj or Krishna?) This is where you’ve got to take some hard calls. It’s easier for me because Siraj is your senior bowler. He bowled his heart out and he had one good spell at Headingley, plus he’s got a body of work, but you’ve got to look at current reality.”
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“I thought towards the end of the Test match, Prasidh Krishna looked more like a go-to bowler for Shubman Gill to get wickets. So, based on that, I might go with Prasidh Krishna. Will be a hard call, but it’s just based on the current form of Mohammed Siraj compared to Prasidh Krishna and find a way for him to be a little more economical,” he added. “Not play seamers just because you are in a country where seam works. So, I would drop a seamer and get Kuldeep Yadav in and Nitish Reddy in place of Shardul Thakur.”
Sanjay Manjrekar also added that Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir might pick Washington Sundar over Kuldeep Yadav due to Sundar’s all-round skills. However, he said that Kuldeep will prove to be a game-changer for India as well.
“The talk of the other spinner in the side…it’s the confirmation of Gautam Gambhir playing a role in that particular selection because he tends to go that way. Washi instead of Kuldeep Yadav. The kind of advantage he gives a team like India. One – there’s been bazball, and Kuldeep Yadav is not an easy bowler for a lot of the English batters to play that kind of cricket against. Plus, when you have an exceptional wicket-taker. If he gets you four wickets, that’s almost 150 runs minus of the opposition score. He actually will make a difference on the field,” Sanjay Manjrekar concluded.
