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Manjrekar Backs Kuldeep, Urges India To Take 'Hard Selection Calls' On England Tour

Rajgeeta Yadav

Sanjay Manjrekar wants Kuldeep Yadav to play 2nd Test [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]Sanjay Manjrekar wants Kuldeep Yadav to play 2nd Test [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]

As India gear up for the second Test against England at Edgbaston on Wednesday, July 2, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has called for some bold decisions, starting with dropping Shardul Thakur and bringing back spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

In the first Test at Headingley, India’s batters performed well, but the bowling line-up couldn’t stop England from chasing down a big target of 371 runs. Manjrekar believes that India needs to focus on picking the best bowlers, not just stick to the traditional fast-bowler-heavy approach used in English conditions.

“Shardul Out, Kuldeep In,” Says Manjrekar

Manjrekar was clear in his opinion.  “Nitish Kumar Reddy, I had included in my side for the first Test. And Kuldeep Yadav has to come back. I'm sorry to say, but Shardul Thakur has to go out,”  he said as quoted by ICC. 

According to him, without experienced pacer Mohammed Shami, India doesn’t have enough firepower in the pace department. Jasprit Bumrah is doing the heavy lifting, but other pacers like Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul haven’t been consistent.

“India will have to take a hard call that even in English conditions, they go with quality bowlers and if the quality bowlers happen to be two spinners, go for it because you don't quite have the luxury of a Shami and some of the other bowlers to pick from," he added.

Manjrekar also suggested that even though the match is in England, India should not hesitate to play two spinners if that gives them more control. 

“English summers these days are generally dry summers because of global warming. So you know, maybe it’s a way to introduce spin in England. And let’s not forget, Ben Stokes has completely changed his thinking and made it common-sense cricket thinking," he added.

Jasprit Bumrah’s Availability Still A Question

Another big talking point ahead of the Edgbaston Test is whether Jasprit Bumrah will play. India had earlier said that Bumrah would feature in only three of the five Tests to manage his workload.

Bumrah was brilliant in the first Test, picking up a five-wicket haul in the first innings. But with back-to-back matches coming up, the team is being cautious. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate gave an update, saying, “He’s available for the game, but we haven’t made a final call yet. It will depend on conditions and how we plan for the rest of the series.”

Notably, the second Test is crucial for both sides. India are currently 0-1 down in the series and certainly cannot afford another loss.