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Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed surprise at Rohit Sharma’s decision not to bring Ravindra Jadeja into the attack early on against left-handers. Manjrekar highlighted a particular statistic that he believes should be brought to Sharma’s attention. He suggested that Jadeja’s record against left-handed batsmen could have made a difference and questioned why the Indian captain didn’t capitalize on it sooner. According to Manjrekar, this is a point worth noting, especially considering Jadeja’s effectiveness in such situations.
Sanjay Manjrekar’s Piece of Avice To Rohit Sharma:
The opening day of the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur was cut short by rain, allowing only 35 overs of play after India chose to bowl first at home for the first time in nine years. Despite being a specialist, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja wasn’t called upon to bowl. Fast bowler Akash Deep emerged as the standout performer for India, taking 2 for 34, while veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed the other wicket that fell during Friday’s rain-affected session.
Bangladesh, trailing 1-0 in the two-match series, reached 107 for 3 before rain halted play. Mominul Haque was unbeaten on 50, with Mushfiqur Rahim on 6 at the time. After the third wicket fell at 80 shortly after lunch, Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that Rohit Sharma could have introduced Ravindra Jadeja into the attack. However, Manjrekar acknowledged that it made sense to rely on an off-spinner when two left-handed batsmen were at the crease, though Jadeja’s involvement might have been impactful.
He cited an interesting statistic regarding Ravindra Jadeja’s success against former England captain and left-handed opener Alastair Cook to support his argument. He highlighted Jadeja’s effective record against Cook as evidence of the spinner’s ability to trouble left-handers, suggesting that Rohit Sharma could have utilized Jadeja’s skills more effectively in similar situations during the match.
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In his post on ‘X”, he wrote, “Rohit needs to be shown this stat- JADEJA vs COOK, 2016 series: In 8 inngs, got him out 6 times, conceded just 75 runs. Rohit tends to not bowl Jadeja early when there are left handers out there.”
Manjrekar Elaborated His Insights:
Following the day’s play, he expanded on his observations during an analysis session on ESPNcricinfo. He provided further insights into his views regarding the match, emphasizing the missed opportunities and strategies that could have been employed during the game.
He added, “Every captain has an approach, keeping in mind the bowlers he has. It’s nothing wrong because captains tend to trust some bowlers more. I have noticed this, not particularly in this series, when it comes to spin, Rohit favours Ashwin a bit more.”
He concluded, “Yes, he did have a reason here because there were two left-handers, but match-ups should merely be guidelines. As you see in this series, in the previous match, Shakib Al Hasan had troubled Rishabh Pant, and there was also a dropped-catch scenario. This is an ongoing trend even in Test cricket, but you have a quality bowler like Jadeja, who has a good record against left-handers. Remember, he dismissed Alastair Cook six times in eight innings. So not giving him the ball at all was baffling.”
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