Following India’s humbling loss to Australia in the 2023 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval in London earlier this month, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar gave a suggestion to the selectors.
The losing in the crucial Test match exposed the Indian squad to widespread criticism for their poor performance in the ICC knockout tournaments. Aside from Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur, no Indian batsman scored more than fifty runs in a single innings during the one-off Test.
Manjrekar noted that Australia’s top performers in the WTC final were Steve Smith and Travis Head, who rarely play limited-overs cricket. The former cricketer urged India to search for players who will not be fatigued by the transition from the T20 format to the game’s longest format.
What Sanjay Manjrekar advised to the Indian Test team selectors?
“The game changers for Australia in the WTC final – Steve Smith and Travis Head – don’t play a lot of T20 cricket. So we have to find guys who are not going to be fatigued or don’t have to make the adjustments from IPL to Test cricket,”
Manjrekar was quoted as saying by News 18.
The 57-year-old went on to argue that selectors need to start rewarding players who flourish in domestic cricket as well as those who can succeed in international situations. He also indicated that for the upcoming Test series, he would like to see at least three fresh hitters and fast bowlers in the team.
“About time we start rewarding the guys who are doing well in first-class cricket. And not just runs. The selectors could look at players who have it in them to be future Test players and succeed in foreign conditions. I would like to see at least three new batters come into play in the picture and new fast bowlers,”
he added.
India’s next international tour will be to the West Indies in July and August, where they will play two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is. Their first assignment in the new World Test Championship cycle (2023-25) will be a two-match Test series. Rohit Sharma and his team are expected to arrive in the West Indies on July 1.
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