Sanjay Manjrekar said that India’s series loss to New Zealand was caused by their batting disasters against spin bowling. This came after the team captained by Tom Latham secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series Saturday, October 26, by winning the second Test in Pune.
The Indian top-order could have come very near to chasing down the 4 innings mark of 359 runs, according to Manjrekar, if they had been more resilient and self-assured against the spinners and had trusted their defensive strategies.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s brilliant half-century put India ahead, but after the southpaw was out for 77 in the 22nd over of the chase, they fell from 120/2 to 245-all-out. The Indian batting order gave in to the New Zealand spinners after Rishabh Pant was unlucky enough to be run out, leaving Ravindra Jadeja to handle the tail alone. Even though Jadeja struck 42 off 84 balls, India suffered their first home Test series loss since 2012, losing by 113 runs.
Three Indian batters in the top four were uncomfortable playing spin, according to Manjrekar. He criticised Gill in particular since he was out to Mitchell Santner in both innings.
“I believed that a surprise would be in store when Yashasvi and Shubman were travelling together. With regard to spinners, Shubman Gill is obviously lacking. “A batsman who can instinctively work with his footwork is obviously under pressure when he is playing spinners on turning pitches,” Manjrekar said.
Again, Kohli missed the line: Sanjay Manjrekar.
Once again, Virat Kohli miscalculated the length. He didn’t expect the ball to be that full, and it slammed back into him. The confidence of Rohit Sharma at the crease was lacking. Many of the guys in the top three out of four are insecure when it comes to spin. Batting against spin in the first session and a half is challenging on surfaces like this. If India had supported their defence a bit more, I believe that things may have been simpler. The presence of Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja could have made this game much closer if India had not lost so many wickets earlier,” he continued.
India’s WTC prospects are severely shaken
India lost back-to-back games against the Kiwis, but they were still able to maintain their lead in the World Test Championship (WTC) points standings. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which starts on November 22, is coming up, and Australia is closing the gap between them and has the ability to unseat them from the top spot.
Also Read: India’s WTC qualification scenario is now looking a little dicey: Aakash Chopra
In order for India to go to the WTC final, they must win four of their final six Test matches. They still have one Test left against New Zealand before embarking on a five-Test tour to Australia.
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