Former Indian batter turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar said that Test cricket has been dying and the least-prioritised format for batters now as well. His comments came after India faced a shocking 30-run defeat within three days to South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, as well. The hosts were bowled out for a mere total of 93 in the final innings, chasing 124. It came after they were bowled out for 189 in the first innings as well.

Reacting to the loss, Manjrekar said on his Instagram handle: “The writing has been on the wall for a while and we weren’t willing to pay attention to it. The fact of today for the last five years at least is that Test cricket has slowly but surely become the least favored format for everyone involved, especially the players coming through the ranks and most stakeholders as well. It’s the last priority compared to T20s, private leagues and 50-overs cricket.”

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“So what happens is Test cricket is the only format that forces you to sharpen your defensive skills. That is why players until 2000 were so obsessed with wanting a good defense because Test cricket was the No. 1 format. Now because it’s the third priority for a player, defense becomes the last priority for a player, which means a batter’s ability to keep the good balls away is diminishing,” he shared.

Sanjay Manjrekar also added that the batters of the current generation find it easier to hit sixes into the second tier than defend good deliveries in Test cricket as well.

“Ask them to hit the ball into the second tier of the stands and every batter today will be able to do it. But to keep good balls away is a tough one for today’s players and they cannot be blamed for that. It’s just how cricket has panned out over the last few years. So if you want to see a good Test series, the time has come for us to have pitches like we had in England. That’s why we had a great series to watch. The pitches were flat, which means less good balls and less difficult balls to play for batters today and that is what you call adjusting to the changing times,” Sanjay Manjrekar concluded.