After a terrible first day of play in the second Test between South Africa and India, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar criticized the Cape Town pitch and the new age of batting. The first inning saw the hosts bundle out the lowest number of runs they had ever scored against India—55—while the Rohit Sharma-led team lost six wickets in only 11 deliveries to finish at 153. The fact that just five batters reached double digits in the first two innings casts serious question on the quality of the Newlands pitch.
Sanjay Manjrekar also poked fun at hitters nowadays who don’t focus on winning Test matches and are out while taking needless risks. He said that Test cricket is not the top concern and that on the first day, the bowlers appeared to be wearing a cape.
“I believe the pitch plays a major role. It has something to do with modern batting, which may be less defensively oriented. This makes sense given that Test cricket has historically been the third most important format. These things consequently occur in the event that there is some life on the pitch. Speaking to Star Sports, Manjrekar remarked, “It was almost like the bowlers were wearing a cape in Cape Town.”
Mukesh Kumar assisted Siraj, who bowled exceptionally well. Sanjay Manjrekar
Manjrekar praised Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar for their outstanding first-day bowling performances. He also mentioned how Kagiso Rabada has performed well for the Proteas, citing the bowlers’ significant contribution to batting collapses.
One noteworthy observation is that although South Africa was bowled out for 55, Siraj’s excellent bowling attack and Mukesh Kumar’s assistance were evident. Hence, two bowlers gave it their all. Kagiso Rabada performed well, even for South Africa. You would believe that all four bowlers were at the top of their game when you see scores like these with collapses on both sides, Manjrekar continued.
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