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"Thinking Washi Should…": Manjrekar Takes A Dig At Gill’s Late Call On Sundar On Day 3

Poulomi Chakraborty

Manjrekar Takes A Jab At Gill's Tactics (Source: AP Photos)Manjrekar Takes A Jab At Gill's Tactics (Source: AP Photos)

Manchester is witnessing the prime English brilliance as the hosts are dominating the Indian bowlers in the first innings. As England batters were already hitting hard, Joe Root’s remarkable innings of 150 runs put the Indian side into hot water.

After grabbing two early wickets, India’s bowlers hit a wall in their hunt for the third scalp, and tactical missteps soon drew attention. As Shubman Gill introduced Washington Sundar only in the later stages, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar questioned Gill’s move.

Manjrekar Criticizes Gill’s Tactics

After a tough Day 2 in Manchester, Day 3 began with India sinking deeper into trouble. After two costly scalps, Team India hunted long for the third wicket as long as Ollie Pope and Joe Root stitched a 144-run partnership, and that changed the tide. While the other bowlers were struggling to secure the scalp, Shubman Gill’s delayed move to bring Washington Sundar in attack raised eyebrows.

Introduced into the attack late, Sundar tore through the key stand, trapping Pope for 71 and then getting Harry Brook for just 3. He completely shifted the momentum of the game. After the day ended, speaking on Star Sports, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar questioned Gill’s delayed use of Sundar, especially with conditions perfectly suited for him.

“Can we assume that these decisions were taken solely by Shubman Gill? At this stage of his career, you'd expect him to get some inputs… or considering he has done so well as a batter, everybody has withdrawn, saying ‘this guy is getting into the zone,” he said.


“Because I can't see everyone agreeing to this kind of move. Bumrah, KL Rahul, or a Gambhir thinking Washi should not be bowled… come what may,” he added.

The Manchester Test became more challenging for India as England solidified their position with a strong batting performance. After a strong start and relentless consistency, the hosts stacked up a massive 544/7 by stumps, leading by 186 runs and putting India firmly on the back foot.