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.
Sanjay 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 to the close call between Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep, I’d like to go with Arshdeep. We’ve seen enough of Prasidh Krishna… Invest in somebody who might give you long-term returns, and that’s where I’d like to go with Arshdeep,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.
Anshul Kamboj, who made his debut in the fourth Test, is under fire. Manjrekar declined to be too harsh of him, but the cricketer-turned-expert hinted that he could have to wait a long to play again 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,” he added.
Sanjay Manjrekar Backs Inclusion Of Kuldeep Yadav In Playing XI Ahead Of Oval Test
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 not being a part of it, and Kuldeep Yadav will have to come back. There have been so many moments in this series where you imagine Kuldeep Yadav being part of the Indian bowling attack, and we’ve talked about the moments where India could make a difference and win a game overseas, and that’s where Kuldeep Yadav would’ve been really handy. So, he comes in and Shardul Thakur sits out… For me, it’s a no-brainer.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar also raised concern over Akash Deep’s fitness and consistency. The Bengal seamer took ten wickets in the second Test but was unable to match his success in the third. He missed the fourth test owing 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.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
