ICC WTC Final: Ravindra Jadeja’s selection for his batting skills backfired India, says Sanjay Manjrekar.
ICC WTC Final: Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar keeps alive his online controversy with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as he gives another bold statement for the all-rounder post India’s horrifying defeat against New Zealanders in the ICC World Test Championship.
Team India-led by Virat Kohli lost the all important rain marred test match against Kiwis by eight wickets in the reserve day.
Manjrekar questioned Jadeja’s selection for the final test which was delayed by one day.
“If you have to look at how India went about before the game started, picking two spinners was always a debatable selection especially when the conditions were overcast and the toss was delayed by a day. They picked one player for his batting, which was Jadeja, and his left-arm spin wasn’t the reason he was picked. He was picked for his batting and that is something that I am always against,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
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He furthermore said that selection of Hanuma Vihari could have given team India more depth in those overcast conditions. A specialist batsman with the abilities of Hanuma Vihari may have helped India to post a total of over 200 runs on the last day.
“In a team, you have to pick specialist players on the basis of their primary skillset. If they felt that the pitch would dry up they would have selected Ashwin along with Jadeja owing to his left arm spin abilities. But they picked him thinking of his batting and I think that backfired as mostly it does,” said Majrekar.
Commenting on the upcoming test series against England, Manjrekar said: “I hope India don’t do what England have historically done, pick somebody because there is another strength that they have and that strength might just come to good use, but very rarely it does when it’s a pressure game.”
Ravindra Jadeja’s selection for batting backfired India: Sanjay Manjrekar.
