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Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Team India skipper Rohit Sharma's defensive game is a concern ahead of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia. Sharma was dismissed for just two runs in the first innings of the series opener against New Zealand in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 17.
Sharma was knocked over by Tim Southee while trying to step out of his crease to play a flashing drive. The rest of the Indian batters also went down without a fight and the hosts were ultimately bowled out for just 46, registering their lowest-ever Test total at home.
Manjrekar reckoned that while there won't be much seam movement in Australian conditions, the likes of Sharma and Virat Kohli will have to work on their weakness prior to the tour.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, the cricketer-turned-commentator stated:
"In Australia, the ball won't seam around as much, but yes, I think Rohit Sharma's form, especially his defensive game is a bit of a worry. Virat Kohli will have to do something about his obsession with front-foot play that he has."
"Yashasi Jaiswal showed some great signs which augurs well. Sarfaraz Khan will have to work his approach out, and Rishabh Pant playing like Pant. So, yeah, in a way, the team management and selectors will know exactly what are going to be the areas of concern," he added.
Commenting on India's struggles against New Zealand pacers, Manjrekar suggested that many batters didn't trust their defence. He also mentioned that Kohli's overdependence on his front foot played a role in his dismissal, adding:
"Combination of the ball doing a lot, New Zealand bowlers blowing well, and maybe some batters not trusting their defence and not being confident with the way they were defending the moving ball. Rohit Sharma tried to counterattack, Sarfaraz as well played that kind of a shot. Virat Kohli was too much on the front foot, so got himself into a bit of a tough position."
Sanjay Manjrekar reckoned that while Sharma tried to take the counterattacking route against the moving ball, it was an approach that looks bad when it doesn't pay off, elaborating:
"When you are taking a risk like that, like Rohit Sharma did, then you've got to nail it, otherwise, it looks terrible. So, Rohit Sharma at least had some justification because he was there for a while."
It is worth mentioning that Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin were dismissed for ducks in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal were the only batters to cross double digits, scoring 20 and 13, respectively.
For New Zealand, Matt Henry and William O'Rourke shone with the ball, claiming five and four wickets, respectively. The home team were bowled out in just 31.2 overs.
"It wasn't one of those straightforward decisions" - Sanjay Manjrekar on India's decision to bat first
While India's decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired, Sanjay Manjrekar gave captain Rohit Sharma the benefit of the doubt. He stated that deciding to bat or bowl first wasn't a very straightforward choice on this wicket.
Pointing out that there was some dampness on the pitch due to the weather, the Manjrekar said:
"Anybody who had a look a the surface was wondering what would a captain do after winning the toss. So, it wasn't one of those straightforward decisions where you saw the pitch and you want to bat first or bowl first because clearly it was a pitch which was made for spinners but had a certain amount of dampness because of the weather around. India would not have imagined that it would have so much life and would work so much in favor of New Zealand."
New Zealand have put themselves into a great position to win their first-ever Test on Indian soil since 1988. The Blackcaps have just two wins to their name from 36 Tests in India.
