Sanjay Manjrekar has pushed the Indian team management to give Arshdeep Singh his red-ball debut in the fifth Test against England at The Oval in London, which begins on Thursday, July 31, ahead of Prasidh Krishna.
Krishna appeared in the first two Tests of the five-match series against England but had little impact. He took six wickets for an average of 55.17 and an economy rate of 5.34. Arshdeep, on the other hand, has been with the team from the beginning of the trip but has yet to play a Test. He was allegedly scheduled to play the fourth Test, but a hand ailment forced him to withdraw.
Manjrekar believes India should invest in Arshdeep, who is three years younger than Krishna and might be a long-term addition to the bowling team.
“When it comes down to a close call between Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep, I’d rather go with the latter. We have seen enough of Prasidh Krishna… Invest in someone who can provide you with long-term returns, and that’s where I want to go with Arshdeep,” Manjrekar.
long Manjrekar hesitated to be too harsh on Anshul Kamboj, who made his debut in the fourth Test, the cricketer-turned-expert hinted that he could have to wait a long before playing another game for India.
“Anshul Kamboj, it’s a little too harsh, but only, you know, I don’t see him playing the [his] second Test only because of how he looked rather than his returns,” according to him.
Sanjay Manjrekar advocates for Kuldeep Yadav’s induction.
Manjrekar joined a number of experts and fans in advocating for the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav. So far on the tour, the left-arm wrist spinner has failed to break into the playing XI. However, Manjrekar believes that Kuldeep’s addition to the team has the potential to make a difference.
“India will have to start trusting their batting lineup despite Rishabh Pant’s absence, and Kuldeep Yadav will need to return. There have been so many times in this series where you could envision Kuldeep Yadav being a member of the Indian bowling attack, and we’ve discussed the times when India could make a difference and win a game overseas, which is where Kuldeep Yadav would’ve come in useful. As he enters, Shardul Thakur sits out. “For me, it’s a no-brainer,” Manjrekar said.
Manjrekar also expressed his concerns regarding Akash Deep’s fitness and consistency. The Bengal seamer took 10 wickets in the second Test, but failed to replicate the performance in the third. He missed the fourth Test due to an injury.
“Akash Deep, even if he plays, it will be a question mark whether he’ll be able to replicate what he did earlier in this series. So, I would think Akash Deep, even if he’s 80-90% fit, or how much of in his bowling how much potency he’ll carry because we’ve seen he puts in one good performance and in the very next match the potency is not the same but you have no choice but to play Akash Deep,” Manjrekar said.
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