Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar wants Rohit Sharma to play like how Sachin Tendulkar played a leading role in Indian batting. With Virat Kohli missing out on the IND vs ENG 2nd Test, Manjrekar believes Rohit should play the leading role in batting to steer the youngsters. Rohit could only manage 24 and 39 in the Hyderabad Test as India lost the match by 28 runs, failing to chase 231.
“You noticed Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 80 with a strike rate of 100. In the second innings, inexplicably, the strike rate dropped to 40. The only explanation is that they felt the pressure when coming in to bat,” Sanjay Manjrekar explained.
Rohit Sharma needs to be batting leader
Not just Virat Kohli, India will miss out on KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja in IND vs ENG 2nd Test. Both of them have played a major role in batting but their injuries mean India have to rely on youngsters. And in that batting line-up, Rohit Sharma will be the only senior player.
Manjrekar believes that the reason for Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dip in strike rate was not the pitch. Instead, he was under pressure. That’s where Rohit Sharma should take the lead from the front.
“This is where Rohit Sharma had to play a role similar to what Sachin Tendulkar did for many years. He has to be the lone batter to handle the situation,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.
India too cautious?
While England played attacking cricket, taking on India’s famed spin troika, India went on the defensive even against a rookie attack. Sanjay Manjrekar believes that was a big mistake. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the only player to go on the offensive in the first innings, scoring at 108.11.
“India, once again, made the mistake of being overly cautious. When you have players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, or Shreyas Iyer, known for their aggressive style, they should stick to that approach regardless of the situation. They are more comfortable with that style. Even if India loses a match in pursuing this strategy, fans need to understand that the team tried to play to their strengths,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.
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