Cricket

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed concerns over KL Rahul's form as an opener ahead of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Manjrekar believes Rahul's recent performances lack confidence and suggests he would be better suited in the middle order.Rahul's form has been inconsistent, with Manjrekar noting that he is "not setting the stage on fire" as an opening option. He attributes this to a lack of confidence, which is evident in Rahul's body language and shot selection.Manjrekar proposes that Rahul would be more effective in the middle order, citing his successful performance as No. 6 during India's tour of South Africa. He believes Rahul's ability to handle the softer Kookaburra ball and bat with the tailenders would make him a valuable asset in that position.Rahul's availability for the first Test is also in question after he was hit on the elbow during a practice match simulation. While he resumed practice on Sunday, his batting appeared slightly off. This injury, coupled with Shubman Gill's thumb injury, has raised concerns about India's opening options.Manjrekar's analysis highlights the importance of form and confidence in the opening position. Rahul's struggles have put pressure on the Indian team to find a reliable opener who can set the tempo for the innings. With the first Test just days away, Rahul's fitness and form will be closely monitored as India seeks to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia is set to commence, igniting a fierce rivalry that has captivated cricket enthusiasts worldwide. India, who have recently dominated Australia, face a formidable challenge this time around.After a disappointing 3-0 loss to New Zealand at home, India's vulnerability is evident. The spotlight will be on star players like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah to deliver against a formidable Australian side.In a lighthearted moment before the battle, the Indian team engaged in a fun Q&A session. Kohli, asked about his best knock in Australia, recalled his century at Perth in the 2018-19 series. "It was the toughest pitch I played on in Test cricket," Kohli said. "It was great to get a hundred on that tour."Former cricketer and analyst Sanjay Manjrekar analyzed how Australian bowlers might approach Kohli's batting. He believes Kohli is aware of the tactics that will be employed against him."They'll start with that line outside the off-stump and gauge what his mindset is," Manjrekar said. "Australia might also try to cramp him for room and attack his body since he likes to get forward."Manjrekar further elaborated that if Kohli focuses on balls outside the off stump, Australian bowlers, particularly Josh Hazlewood, might target a line on the middle stump, similar to the one Vernon Philander used effectively."Australia will test various strategies, and Virat Kohli is fully aware of that," Manjrekar added.With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy set to unfold, the stage is set for an intense battle between two cricketing giants. India will aim to maintain their dominance, while Australia will seek redemption and reclaim their supremacy.

Virat Kohli's recent batting struggles have become a major talking point ahead of India's upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series against Australia. The former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar believes that the Australian pacers will target Kohli from the outset, given his lean patch in 2024.Kohli has managed only 488 runs in 25 innings across 19 international matches this year, averaging a meager 20.33. His Test numbers in the lead-up to the BGT have been equally dismal, with just 93 runs in three Tests against New Zealand and 99 runs in two Tests against Bangladesh.Manjrekar believes that the Australian bowlers will exploit Kohli's tendency to leave balls outside the off-stump and drive anything pitched up. They will also try to cramp him for room and attack his body, a tactic that New Zealand employed successfully."Virat knows exactly what's going to be planned," Manjrekar said. "They'll start with that line outside the off-stump and gauge what his mood is. These days he looks to leave balls outside the off-stump and if they have anything that is pitched right up, he will look to drive.""Nowadays, they are also trying to cramp him for room and attack his body because he loves to get forward so much. So that is something New Zealand tried, which is very smart. And then if he is so focused outside off, that typical one (plan) of landing a ball on the middle stump, which Josh Hazlewood would try," he added.Kohli's form will be crucial to India's chances of retaining the BGT and qualifying for the World Test Championship final. The visitors need to win four of the five Tests Down Under, a daunting task that will require a significant contribution from their star batsman.

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed his disappointment over the underutilization of all-rounder Axar Patel in the first two T20I matches against South Africa. Despite playing Axar as the third spinner alongside Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi, the Indian team management has failed to utilize his skills effectively.In the second game of the series, Axar bowled just one over despite the pitch offering assistance to spinners. Manjrekar believes this was a glaring mistake by captain Suryakumar Yadav. "What are we doing with Axar Patel? Why are you playing him? Give a little clarity. Axar Patel, one over in Kingsmead, Durban, and here also just one over. On a pitch where six of the seven wickets were picked up by spinners, he bowled just one over," Manjrekar said.Manjrekar emphasized that Axar's underutilization is a waste of a valuable resource. "In my opinion, he is being underutilized as a resource. We are saying that you are playing three spinners, but you are unable to play them properly. I am not thinking much about the batting failure, but not bowling Axar Patel was an obvious mistake on Surya's part," he added.Akaash Chopra also highlighted the fact that Tristan Stubbs struggled against spinners, and a few more overs from Axar could have made a difference for India. "That was a thing that stood out here as Tristan Stubbs, who played well, wasn't able to pick length properly at the start. He was going back against full deliveries. He is a quality player and he showed in the end how and why, but Gerald Coetzee came as an out-of-syllabus question, and I feel he will get one-and-a-half to two crores extra in the auction because he also hit sixes," Chopra said.Despite Varun Chakravarthy's impressive five-wicket haul, South Africa managed to snatch a three-wicket victory, leveling the series at 1-1. The Proteas' victory halted India's 11-match winning streak, but it was not without its share of drama.India struggled to a modest total of 124 for six on a bouncy pitch, while South Africa collapsed to 66 for six and 86 for seven. However, Stubbs and Coetzee's valiant partnership of 42 runs for the eighth wicket guided South Africa to victory.

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed concern over the poor performance of Abhimanyu Easwaran and KL Rahul during the second match between India A and Australia A. He believes that their struggles highlight the challenges Indian batters face when playing in Australian conditions for the first time.Manjrekar noted that the dismissals of India A batters were typical of Indian batters playing in Australia for the first time. He attributed this to their instinctive playing style, which is not suited to the extra bounce and pace of Australian pitches."The dismissal that you saw of most Indian batters was typical of an Indian batter going to Australia and a pitch that has some juice in it where instinctively they are playing in a certain manner and are surprised by the the extra bounce and that happened to all of us," Manjrekar said.He advised Indian batters to adapt to Australian conditions and get rid of their "Indian instincts.""We went to Australia and that is why we needed time to get used to the bounce and instinctively sort of play a little higher than you would. So you have to get rid of the Indian instincts," he said.Manjrekar's comments come as India prepares for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, starting with the Perth Test on November 22. KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran are the frontrunners to open the batting for India, but their recent performances have raised doubts about their readiness.Easwaran has failed to reach the 20-run mark in all four innings he has played in Australia, while Rahul has scored just 4 and 10 in the second match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Manjrekar's analysis suggests that both players may need more time to adjust to Australian conditions before they are ready to play in the Test series.

Rohit Sharma's struggles in Test cricket have continued, with the Indian skipper failing to impress in the recent 0-3 series defeat against New Zealand. Sharma's poor form has raised concerns, with former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar identifying a "real problem" in his batting technique.Manjrekar believes that Sharma is attempting to clear the boundary with brute force rather than making proper connections. "He is missing a few of his big hits," Manjrekar said. "He is mis-hitting a lot of his attacking shots and he is not trusting his defense enough."Sharma's statistics in the Test series against New Zealand were disappointing, with the opener scoring just 91 runs at a strike rate of 68.42. His dismissal in the second innings, where he attempted to hit a boundary rather than make a solid connection, highlighted his technical issues.The series loss against New Zealand marked a low point for Sharma's captaincy, as he became the first Indian captain to concede a 3-0 Test series defeat on home soil. New Zealand's victory was historic, as they became the first team to win a long format series by 0-3 in India.Despite leading Team India to 12 victories in 21 Test matches, Sharma's recent performances have raised questions about his suitability as captain. His inability to score runs consistently in red-ball cricket has been a major concern, and Manjrekar's analysis suggests that technical flaws may be contributing to his struggles.If Sharma is to regain his form and lead India to success in Test cricket, he will need to address the issues identified by Manjrekar. He must rediscover his defensive technique and focus on making solid connections rather than attempting to hit every ball for a boundary.

Team India's disastrous 0-3 Test series defeat against New Zealand has sparked a torrent of criticism, with former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar pinpointing the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the Duleep Trophy as a contributing factor.Kohli and Sharma had initially agreed to participate in the domestic red-ball event but withdrew at the last moment, citing a "lack of motivation." Manjrekar believes this decision was a mistake, arguing that the duo would have benefited from the match practice."The big learning for the selectors from this home season is that do not rest the already well-rested players because of their stature," Manjrekar wrote on social media. "I say this again, both Rohit & Virat would only have benefited from playing the Duleep Trophy start of the season."The Indian team's middle-order fragility, Rohit Sharma's captaincy, and Gautam Gambhir's insistence on turning tracks have also been identified as potential reasons for the series loss. However, Manjrekar's comments highlight the importance of match readiness, especially for senior players.Kohli and Sharma will have a significant responsibility when India travels to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, particularly in the absence of experienced batsmen like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. Some experts believe that this could be the last Test series at home for Kohli, Rohit, and the spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.The Indian team must address these issues and find a way to regain their form if they want to avoid a similar fate in Australia. The Duleep Trophy could provide an opportunity for players to prove their worth and earn a place in the Test squad.

Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian cricketer and renowned commentator, has once again emphasized the importance of domestic cricket for India's top batsmen, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. In the wake of India's 3-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in the recently concluded Test series, Manjrekar has reiterated his belief that Kohli and Sharma would have benefited from playing in the Indian domestic competitions.During the series, both Kohli and Sharma struggled against the New Zealand seamers and spinners. The seam-friendly surface in Bengaluru gave way to rank turners in Pune and Mumbai, exposing the Indian batsmen's vulnerabilities. Rohit, who has played 64 Tests in his career, scored just 91 runs across the three Tests, with a highest of 52 runs in Bengaluru. Kohli, with 118 Tests under his belt, fared no better, scoring just 93 runs across the six innings.Manjrekar believes that the selectors should not rest well-rested players like Kohli and Sharma simply because of their stature. He argues that both players would have only benefited from playing in the Duleep Trophy at the start of the season. Across the home season, which included two Tests against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand, Rohit scored 133 runs and Kohli mustered 192 runs.Manjrekar has consistently urged the selectors and the two stalwarts of Indian cricket to play in the Duleep Trophy competition to prepare for the home season and the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. In August, he wrote on X, "India has played 249 international matches in the last 5 years. Rohit has played only 59% of those. Virat 61 % & Bumrah 34%. I see them as well rested India players. Could have been selected for the Duleep trophy."During the Bangladesh series, Manjrekar had commented, "... considering the amount of international matches Rohit and Virat played in the last five years, they could have been picked for the Duleep Trophy and I’m sure the time out there would have just held them at least in the first innings where they suddenly came out cold and having had to bat first," he had said on ESPNCricinfo.Kohli and Rohit will be under immense pressure going into the five-match Test series against Australia, which begins in Perth on November 22. Manjrekar's comments serve as a timely reminder of the importance of domestic cricket in preparing for international challenges.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auctions are set to take place in November, and the franchises have announced their retentions. Among the notable retentions, MS Dhoni's return to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has garnered significant attention.CSK retained Dhoni for Rs 4 crore under the uncapped player category, along with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 18 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (INR 13 crore), Shivam Dube (INR 12 crore), and Ravindra Jadeja (INR 18 crore). Dhoni's retention has sparked discussions about his potential role in the team.Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes Dhoni should lead CSK in the upcoming season, stating that his captaincy would make the tournament more exciting. "Dhoni should become captain of CSK in IPL 2025. He played under Ruturaj Gaikwad last season. It was not so much fun to watch. Even if Dhoni doesn't bat, he can make more impact as captain and wicketkeeper alone for CSK," Manjrekar said.Mohammad Kaif, another former India star, praised CSK's retention strategy, highlighting the financial advantage it provides. "CSK have played really well. They have saved 10-15 crores. I feel that the way this rule was brought back because we were driven by emotions, and we all really wanted MS Dhoni to play another year...I feel CSK played very smartly there. Yes, he is taking less money, but it would allow CSK to buy big names players at the auction," Kaif said.Kaif also expressed his belief that players who continue to perform well in the IPL after being dropped from the Indian team should not be subject to the uncapped player rule. "I feel whichever player plays for India, I was 36 when I last played an international match for India... now if I get dropped from the team, but continue to have a good IPL run, then I should not have come under the uncapped player rule," he added.