Overview:
Manjrekar pointed out that Jaiswal, Rahul, Shubman Gill and Pant are competing in India without preparing on spin-friendly first-class pitches.
Sanjay Manjrekar opined on India’s defeat in the home Test series against South Africa, highlighting the fact that the sub-continent team has lost two of their last three series on home soil. India were outclassed by the Proteas in all departments of the game, with the batters failing to play spinners and fast bowlers. The visitors were more comfortable on the surfaces, exposing India’s weaknesses.
Only Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar scored over 100 runs, and the likes of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were among the flops.
Manjrekar feels the defeats are due to structural issues and not the form. He mentioned that Indian batters who perform well in domestic cricket often lose touch once they play for the national team, spending more time in overseas conditions and not preparing for the rank turners.
“There are two reasons India lost to New Zealand and South Africa at home. Both teams beat India by spin. When an Indian batter scores in domestic cricket and gets a chance to play for the country, he becomes like an NRI. He hardly plays at home, and the overseas cricket takes the front seat,” Manjrekar said.
Indian willow holders were impressive in England, with top batters amassing over 400 runs. But they lost confidence in home matches. Manjrekar pointed out that Jaiswal, Rahul, Shubman Gill and Pant are competing in India without preparing on spin-friendly first-class pitches.
“Batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant have been part of 9 to 12 Tests away from home in the last two years, but they didn’t play as many in India. And when they play in India, they come to the matches without playing in domestic matches at home. So they are poorly trained,” he added.
Manjrekar’s comments show that Indian batters are not well prepared to handle rival spinners, and the reason is their absence from the Ranji Trophy.