Sanjay Manjrekar, an Indian former hitter, believes that Test cricket is an art form in its death throes and the least focused format in which batters are given a priority over the past few years. He said this when India was beaten by South Africa in the first Test by just 30 runs in less than three days in Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The hosts lost consciousness in the last inning and had to pursue 124. It occurred subsequent to their being fired during the first innings of 189.
In response to the setback, Manjrekar remarked on his Instagram account:
“The writing has been on the wall for a while and we weren’t willing to pay attention to it. The fact of today for the last five years at least is that Test cricket has slowly but surely become the least favored format for everyone involved, especially the players coming through the ranks and most stakeholders as well. It’s the last priority compared to T20s, private leagues and 50-overs cricket.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
He continued:
“So what happens is Test cricket is the only format that forces you to sharpen your defensive skills. That is why players until 2000 were so obsessed with wanting a good defense because Test cricket was the No. 1 format. Now because it’s the third priority for a player, defense becomes the last priority for a player, which means a batter’s ability to keep the good balls away is diminishing.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
The loss was India’s fourth in the last six home Tests, dating back to a 0-3 series defeat to New Zealand. It was also the second-lowest target India has failed to achieve in Tests.
“Ask them to hit the ball into the second tier of the stands” – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar believes that today’s batters find it simpler to hit sixes in the second tier than to defend decent deliveries in Test cricket. The former hitter also advocated for improved batting tracks to enable high-quality cricket in the red ball format.
“Ask them to hit the ball into the second tier of the stands and every batter today will be able to do it. But to keep good balls away is a tough one for today’s players and they cannot be blamed for that. It’s just how cricket has panned out over the last few years,” said Manjrekar (via the aforementioned source).
He concluded:
“So if you want to see a good Test series, the time has come for us to have pitches like we had in England. That’s why we had a great series to watch. The pitches were flat, which means less good balls and less difficult balls to play for batters today and that is what you call adjusting to the changing times.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Team India is down 0-1 in the two-match series and must win the second Test in Guwahati on November 22 to avoid a home series defeat.
