Kuldeep Yadav Was Found Wanting Purely Because Of England's Power Hitting; Don't Think He Bowled Badly - Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batsman, Sanjay Manjrekar opines that Kuldeep Yadav wasn’t as bad as his numbers suggest in the second ODI against England on Friday. The chinaman returned with figures of 0/84 – after 0/68 in the first ODI – as the England batters thumped him in their successful chase of 337.

Not just Kuldeep but Krunal Pandya was also taken to cleaners conceding 72 runs in 6 overs. However, Sanjay Manjrekar comes in some support of the spinners. He says that the pitch didn’t offer any assistance for the tweakers – Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali shared just a solitary wicket between their 20 overs, too.

The cricketer-turned-commentator observed that Kuldeep was bowling with wicket-taking intent – tossing the ball around the off-stump, but the might of the England batters was too immense for him to overcome them.

“Had the spinners bowled in the afternoon, they would have got a little more (from the surface). Especially Kuldeep Yadav, who bowled slower today, his speed was more his natural speed. I liked the line he bowled today. I don’t think he bowled badly, but he was found wanting purely because of the kind of power hitting,” Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.

“Kuldeep Yadav was bowling his wicket-taking deliveries, tossing the ball outside the off-stump, but he was getting hit for sixes. The ball wasn’t turning off the pitch as much as Kuldeep Yadav would have liked.

“I would like to see him bowl that wrong-un to the right-hander. Bowling second is a big disadvantage for the spinners because there is nothing in the pitch left anymore,” Sanjay Manjrekar added.

Krunal Pandya is not your ten over bowler in 50-over: Sanjay Manjrekar

The 55-year-old feels that India needs to rejig their combination before the decider on Sunday. Manjrekar reckons Krunal Pandya is not a good enough 10-over bowler in one-day cricket.

Sanjay Manjrekar also asserts that if India is opting for players such as Krunal, who are batting all-rounders, then the top order should bat more aggressively than they did on Friday to put a bigger total on the board.

“Krunal Pandya is not your ten over bowler in 50-over format. But it’s no surprise he has been included because he can bat well. So India will have to rethink their overall team composition. If they want guys who can bat as well, then they have got to bat with a little more intent knowing that they have depth.

“So maybe now, when you have a similar situation, 330 will not be the target they will be looking to set against England, especially when they have weakness in their bowling,” the former batsman added.

Also Read: Playing Safe For 40 Overs With Bat Might Cost Them In A World Cup – Michael Vaughan On India’s Batting Approach In ODIs