IND vs SA: "Mukesh Kumar Is More Suited To These Conditions" - Sanjay Manjrekar Advocates Changes To India's 11

Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar stated that pacer Mukesh Kumar should be included in India’s playing XI for the second Test against South Africa. Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that either Shardul Thakur or Prasidh Krishna might be excluded from the lineup.

Prasidh Krishna delivered an impressive five-wicket haul in the first innings of the drawn fixture against South Africa A. The right-arm pacer earned his maiden Test cap based on his bowling performance. However, Krishna failed to make an impact in his debut Test match.

Mukesh Kumar made his Test debut earlier this year against the West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. The Bengal medium pacer picked up two wickets in his first match. However, he wasn’t selected in the playing XI for the first Test match against South Africa.

There Will De Definitely Be One Change – Sanjay Manjrekar

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar stated that Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna should not play together based on their performance in the first Test. Manjrekar highlighted that Mukesh Kumar is more suited to the conditions in Cape Town.

“From what we have seen in the first Test, I don’t expect Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna to play together in the second Test. There will definitely be one change. If Ravindra Jadeja is fit, it will strengthen our batting. So, if Mukesh Kumar is bowling well in the nets, he could be brought in. He is more suited to these conditions,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo.

The team led by Rohit Sharma suffered a defeat by an innings and 32 runs in the Boxing Day Test in Centurion. Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna faced challenges with the ball in the series opener, recording economy rates of 5.32 and 4.65, respectively.

They Would Continue To Back Him – Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Team India is unlikely to make significant alterations to their batting lineup in the second Test against South Africa. He mentioned that Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid would continue to support the young batters in the final Test match.

“Since it is a two-match series, you are sometimes forced to make some changes. However, I don’t think India will make any major changes to their batting lineup. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid would have seen how Yashasvi Jaiswal played in the first innings, and they would continue to back him. You cannot change things with the selection when it comes to batting. All you can do is hope that the pitch is a bit easier to bat on,” Manjrekar added.

Team India faced batting challenges, and only KL Rahul and Virat Kohli provided substantial contributions. The visiting team registered scores of 245 and 131 runs at Centurion. In contrast, the home team posted a formidable total of 408 runs in their lone innings.

The upcoming second Test between India and South Africa is scheduled to take place at Newlands in Cape Town, starting from January 3 to 7.

Also read: IND vs SA: “That Was A Blunder” – Sanjay Manjrekar Blasts Rohit Sharma’s Captaincy In 1st Test