Ex-India cricket player, Sanjay Manjrekar, supports Sarfaraz Khan to begin his Test career in the approaching third match against England in Rajkot. This kicks off on February 15. The veteran, aged 58, highlighted that Sarfaraz comes with a solid history. He boasts an average near 70 in premier league cricket and exhibits excellent spin playing skills.
Manjrekar also clarified why it seems improbable for Devdutt Padikkal, who stepped in for KL Rahul in the team, to fit into the starting lineup.
Sarfaraz has scored 3912 runs in 66 FC innings, averaging 69.85, with 14 tons and 11 half-centuries. The wicketkeeper-batsman recently returned with scores of 96, 4, 55, and 161 for India A against the England Lions.
On the eve of the Rajkot Test, Manjrekar informed ESPNCricinfo:
“Yes, inexperienced batting lineup, but I think the quality that’s needed in this particular series are just Indian batters who play spin well. There’s where you think Sarfaraz Khan suddenly makes his case very strong.
“I would want Rajat Patidar as the incumbent to take that place at No. 4 and then have Sarfaraz Khan coming at No. 5 only on the basis that he was in the queue before.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
He added:
“The form that he’s had over the long term should count for something and have more weightage than Devdutt Padikkal, who had a great run of late. Enough indication that Sarfaraz Khan would be an interesting batter for India to have to challenge the English spinners. The better player of spin plays.
“I don’t think Padikkal being a left-hander will just further his case because India have Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Padikkal, on the other hand, recently scored 151 and 36 runs for Karnataka against Tamil Nadu in the present Ranji Trophy. He also scored 193 and 103 against Punjab and Goa, respectively.
A batsman who hits left-handed came back scoring 105, 65, and 21 for India A versus England Lions. When you look at the big picture, he’s gathered 2227 runs in 31 FC matches. His average is pretty good 44.54 courtesy of six full centuries and twelve half-centuries.
Sanjay Manjrekar backs Dhruv Jurel over KS Bharat for 3rd Test vs England
Sanjay Manjrekar suggests that Dhrul Jurel should have his Test debut before KS Bharat. This is for the third Test against England.
The once-player-now-analyst thinks Rishabh Pant’s return isn’t far off. He feels the team management should consider an alternative. This is notably because Bharat has struggled to perform with the bat:
“I think so [India should bring in Dhruv Jurel]… but I believe that it’s a very short-term sort of role that has to be filled before Rishabh Pant comes in and takes his rightful place. So, it’s a great time to look at another option.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar added:
“You’ve seen enough of KS Bharat now to see what he’s all about and what’s the return you get from investing in him. I find Dhruv Jurel a more exciting investment at this stage.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
KS Bharat scored 41, 28, 17, and 6 in the first two Tests against England. Overall, he has scored 221 runs in seven Tests at a poor average of 20.09, with no half-century.
Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel has appeared in 15 first-class games, scoring 790 runs at an average of 46.67, including one century and five fifties.