Sanjay Manjrekar, the former cricketer, says India needs to make tough calls for the second Test against England at Edgbaston on July 2. He wants Shardul Thakur to be dropped and spinner Kuldeep Yadav to be brought back into the team.
In the first Test at Headingley, India’s batting was good but the bowlers couldn’t stop England from chasing 371. Manjrekar feels India should pick their best bowlers, not just fast bowlers because they are playing in England.
Manjrekar said, “I had Nitish Kumar Reddy in my team for the first Test and Kuldeep Yadav has to come back. I don’t like saying it but Shardul Thakur has to be dropped.” He feels without Mohammed Shami’s experience India’s pace attack is not strong enough. While Jasprit Bumrah is doing well, other fast bowlers like Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul haven’t been consistent.
Manjrekar added, India has to make a difficult decision and realize that even in England they should go with quality bowlers. If the quality bowlers happen to be two spinners, they should play them because they don’t have the luxury of picking Shami and other bowlers.
Manjrekar also said India shouldn’t hesitate to play two spinners even in England if it gives them more control. “English summers are dry these days because of global warming. So, introducing spin in England might work. Also, Ben Stokes has completely changed his mindset and made his cricket decisions based on common sense, Manjrekar said.
Another big question before the Edgbaston Test is will Jasprit Bumrah play. India had said Bumrah will play only three of the five Tests to manage his workload.
Bumrah was excellent in the first Test, taking five wickets in the first innings. But with matches so close together the team is being cautious. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said, “He’s available for the game but we haven’t decided yet. It will depend on the conditions and our plan for the rest of the series.”
Read Also:- Chris Woakes warns India of Ben Stokes for the second test
It’s crucial to note that the second Test is a must-win for both teams. India is down 0-1 in the series and can’t afford to lose again.
