‘Time has come to scrutinise the role of a batting coach’- Sanjay Manjrekar targets coaching staff down under batting woes continue

When Indian batters in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 were batting poorly, Sanjay Manjrekar took aim at the Indian coaching staff. The former India hitter made a scathing statement about their role and how they are to blame for the Indian batters’ poor performance thus far in the series.

The victory in Perth was the finest start the Indian squad could have had in the series against Australia, but bad performances have followed, particularly from the Indian hitters who have had difficulty against the Australian spinners. Leading batsmen Shubman Gill (1), Yashasvi Jaiswal (4), Virat Kohli (3), and Rishabh Pant (9) were all bowled for low scores in the first innings of the match at Gabba, as the visitors lost four wickets for just 51 runs.

The Indian hitters have been under a lot of pressure from experts due to their difficulties in the series thus far. An expert who has criticised

the Indian team’s performances is Sanjay Manjrekar, a former cricket player who is now a commentator.

Regarding the Indian team’s batting coaches’ failure to address the batting problems, the former Mumbai hitter made a nasty social media statement.

“I believe it’s time to examine the batting coach’s job in the Indian squad. Why significant technical problems with several Indian batters haven’t been fixed for so long,” Manjrekar remarked on the social media and microblogging site X (previously Twitter).

I guess the time has come to scrutinise the role of a batting coach in the Indian team. Why major technical issues have remained unresolved for so long with certain Indian batters. @BCCI

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 16, 2024

The 59-year-old analyst may be making a strong and unrepentant assertion, and one of the most notable instances of the unaddressed difficulties he may be implying is Virat Kohli’s difficulty tackling deliveries bowled on a line outside off stump. Interestingly, Kohli has scored 7, 11, and 3 later in the series following his century in Perth. He has been removed most of the time by pursuing the ball and edging it to the keeper or the slip cordon.