Sanjay Manjrekar hints that KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer might compete for one spot in India’s Test team. This is expected once Rishabh Pant recovers from his injury.
Pant was seen as India’s key player in Tests before a sad car accident took him out of the game in December 2022.
Rahul has more experience in Test cricket for India but Iyer has shown more reliability. Rahul has an average of 33.59 in 49 Tests and eight centuries. Iyer has an average of 39.27 in 12 games, however, he has only one century.
Sanjay Manjrekar spoke to Star Sports following the second Test between India and South Africa in Cape Town. He commended Rahul for cherishing each chance he gets. Yet, the ex-player believes Rahul might be competing with Iyer for a mid-lineup position.
“I think he’s [KL Rahul] a guy who cares about every format,” Manjrekar said. “You know how he’s built to value every opportunity that he gets after he got that 100.
Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar Added:
“You know, I am looking two years from now and I thought he’s really competing with Shreyas Iyer for a batting position in the middle order because the moment Rishabh Pant is fit, he becomes your keeper batter, and there’s great quality to Rishabh Pant batting and keeping as well.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
It is expected that Rishabh Pant will play competitive cricket again in the 2024 IPL. That means that Rahul and Iyer might have a shootout in the next five-match home Test series against England.
at the meantime, Team India won the second Test match at Cape Town by an incredible seven wickets, securing a one-all tie in the series.
KL Rahul Impresses Sanjay Manjrekar with His Magnificent Opening Test Century
Sanjay Manjrekar commended KL Rahul’s brilliant hundred-run score in the initial Test versus South Africa in Centurion. Even though his 101 runs on a challenging Day 1 field wasn’t enough, the retired batters saw it as India’s golden opportunity for series victory.
The 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batter put up 101 runs off 137 deliveries to come in at 92/4 and help India post a respectable 245 points.
“That innings was just incredible (First Test hundred),” Manjrekar continued. “Unfortunately, you know, Dean Elgar got a 180, they got 400 because we at the time thought that 260 was gonna be enough. And that was the moment if India could have latched onto, there would have been a series win in South Africa.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Sadly, the guests were met with disappointing bowling and a remarkable display by Dean Elgar. These dashed their hopes of securing their first Test series win in South Africa.
In the match, India experienced a significant setback, losing by an innings and 32 runs. This put them 0-1 down in the two-game Test series. However, they rallied in the following game to tie the series at 1-1.