KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal certified mentally unfit to bat in England

Former Indian batter and outspoken commentator Sanjay Manjrekar was frustrated with the way openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave away their wickets after setting up a strong foundation on Day 1 of the ongoing fourth Test against England at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester.

After being asked to bat first by England captain Ben Stokes, the India National Cricket Team had a solid morning. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal stayed unbeaten through the first session, putting up 78 runs in 26 overs without losing a wicket at Old Trafford Cricket Ground.

Sanjay Manjrekar slams KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal for wasting a strong start in the Manchester Test

However, things changed quickly after lunch. Rahul was dismissed for 46 by Chris Woakes just after the break. Soon after, Jaiswal, who had worked hard for his 61 off 151 balls, edged a delivery from Liam Dawson to first slip, where Harry Brook took a simple catch to end his stay on Day 2.

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After which, India’s solid run was disturbed. Rishabh Pant had to retire hurt on 37 runs off 48 balls after a blow to the ankle, and Sai Sudharsan, who looked good for a big score, was dismissed late in the day. Sudharsan was removed by Ben Stokes for 61 off 151 balls as India ended at 264 for 4 by stumps.

Whether it’s mental fatigue from the long series?

After the end of Day 1, Sanjay Manjrekar wondered if mental fatigue led to the Indian openers Rahul and Jaiswal letting go of their good start and pointed out how India dominated the first session and England bounced back in the second session in Manchester.

Sanjay Manjrekar said on JioHotstar, “When you look at the overall pie, you can see how wonderfully this Test match is going. There’s a promise of another intriguing test match. You saw the first session, an important one, go to India and then England, making that second session their own. We saw two set batters get out—KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. You wonder. I don’t know whether I’m reading too much into it or whether it’s mental fatigue from the long series.

Read Also: Watch: Yashasvi Jaiswal scolds Sai Sudharsan on the field in front of everyone

Sanjay Manjrekar blames mental drain after Indian collapse on Day 1

The commentator further questioned whether Rahul and Yashasvi lacked the extra push to convert their fifties into big hundreds against England. He pointed out that they were experienced batters, and their early dismissals hint at a dip in mental stamina on the grueling England tour.

Manjrekar further noted, “These are guys who’ve got runs. These aren’t batters who will get a 50 and let the advantage go. They didn’t quite dig in and get a big 100. Has that got something to do with mental stamina, the reserves that you need? They have played so well until now to drop another kind of level of commitment and grind, whether they have it in there.”

Notably, KL Rahul added another milestone to his name by becoming only the fifth Indian batter to score 1000 Test runs in England. With this achievement, KL Rahul joined an elite list featuring Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, and Virat Kohli.

The right-handed batter has scored over 400 runs in a single Test series for the first time in his career.