Sanjay Manjrekar blocks Virat Kohli from batting at No. 3 in the second Test; opines on KL Rahul

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar opened up about wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul's spot in the playing XI for the upcoming second Test match.

Sanjay Manjrekar also shared his thoughts on whether Virat Kohli should bat No. 3 if Shubman Gill fails to make it for the next Test of the three-match series.

The Rohit Sharma-led team started the Test series with a disappointing eight-wicket loss at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, October 20.

India will be hoping to bounce back in the second Test, which is set to be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, on October 24.

Shubman Gill missed the first Test of the three-match series due to neck stiffness. Sarfaraz Khan returned to the playing XI after missing the Test series against Bangladesh.

Sarfaraz made the most of the opportunity and scored his maiden international century in the second innings of the match.

KL Rahul Is Looking So Lost - Sanjay Manjrekar

In a conversation with ESPNCricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar said that KL Rahul might miss the second Test match if Shubman Gill is fit to play.

Manjrekar added that Virat Kohli should not bat at number 3 if Gill isn't available. He said that team management should promote Rahul in the batting order.

"Yes, I think that will be the call the team management will take," Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.

"It's a little unfair for somebody like a Virat Kohli to keep batting at number 3. Maybe, you know, because KL Rahul is looking so lost, maybe push him to number 3 and just free him up a little bit and let Virat go back to number 4," he added.

Should KL Rahul bat No.3 if Gill misses out in Pune? 🤔#INDvNZ #DirectHit #MatchDay pic.twitter.com/5im9ZKDp8J

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 22, 2024

Rahul scored 12 runs in the recent match against New Zealand. The batter was out for a duck in the first innings and managed only 12 runs in the second outing.

Virat, who batted at No. 3 in the match, was also dismissed for a duck in the first innings but bounced back with 70 runs in the second innings.

Should Have Bowled With The New Ball - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar said that it was surprising for Ravichandran Ashwin to be used as the fifth bowler during the second innings. The former Indian cricketer stated that Ashwin should have bowled with the new ball in the second innings.

"Yeah, I think that's a huge sort of piece of news from that Test match. Should have bowled with the new ball if you ask me in that second innings," Manjrekar replied.

Rarely Seen From A Foreign Batter - Sanjay Manjrekar

The former Mumbai cricketer gave Rachin Ravindra's batting a perfect score of 10 out of 10. Manjrekar praised Ravindra for his impressive skills and aggressive approach, adding that such performance is rare for a foreign player on an Indian pitch.

"10 out of 10 because great skills, great approach, attacking, and batting on Indian pitch is rarely seen from a foreign batter, so 10 out of 10," Majrekar added.

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