Sanjay Manjrekar believes Sai Sudharsan should bat third in India’s forthcoming third Test against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, which begins on Thursday, July 10 at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
Sai Sudharsan made his Test debut at the start of the series at Headingley. The youthful player, who batted at number three, had a lackluster debut to his career in the longest format, scoring between 0 and 30. After eight years, Karun Nair returned to the Indian Test team, batting at number six. He scored 0 and 20 runs in each of the two innings.
During the second Test at Edgbaston Sai Sudharsan was dropped and Nair moved up to No. 3. The right handed batsman got 31 runs in his first innings and 26 in his second. Sanjay Manjrekar said that he would not have dropped Sudharsan out of playing XI after one game.
“There were some very interesting selections made in the last game which I didn’t agree with. In the end a win can put a cover on those decisions. I thought Sai Sudharsan, after just one match, to be left out considering he is a young player that we are looking at the future. He played pretty okay in the second innings. I’d like to stick with him but this team management is not afraid to chop and change depending on the vibe.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar went on to say that Nair isn’t a suitable No. 3 batter. At the Home of Cricket, the cricket player-turned-commentator pleaded with the Indian team’s management to reinstate Sudharsan in the starting lineup and assign him to bat at number three.
“But I would like to see Sai Sudharsan at number three. Karun Nair is not a No. 3 player in my book. It is unfair to drop him after one Test if everyone is getting big hundreds. I think Sai deserves that opportunity as well.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar Believes Changed England Bowling Line-Up Will Bring Extra Edge
Jofra Archer will replace Josh Tongue in England’s starting lineup for the third Test. After four years, the 30-year-old will play in a Test match. Shubman Gill’s significant scoring in both innings of the Edgbaston Test eclipsed several problems, therefore Manjrekar cautioned the Indian squad to be cautious with their batting.
“I’d like to see India being pragmatic and realistic about how good the team is. They’ve got to still be careful about their batting. Shubman Gill got these big hundreds and made sure that India could win the Test match. I’m just imagining him getting 103 and 104, and it would have been tough to win the Test. He has taken care of a lot of those issues. India need to make sure that the batting is in place. Perhaps a changed England attack will have more sharpness and potency.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
