IND vs SA: Sanjay Manjrekar Suggests Changes In India's 'Shaky' Middle Order

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that there are wholesale changes in India’s middle-order ahead of the second ODI at Boland Park.

India was in an excellent position at 138/1 during their run chase of 297. However, Shikhar Dhawan’s dismissal began a slow and painful collapse which saw them slip to 214/8 with the match completely out of their hands.

In order to avoid this, Manjrekar reckons they need to bring in an extra batter. “I’ve maintained that India’s middle-order looked a little short on batting when you have somebody like a Rishabh Pant batting at 5 and a Venky Iyer in a very unfamiliar role.”

“You know, for a newcomer to bat down at No. 6 on a pitch that’s going to be dry and getting slow further. There wasn’t much of a threat down the order so I thought they should have made a place for somebody like Suryakumar Yadav… I guess a few little tweaks will have to be done to make sure that the middle looks a little more wholesome,” Manjrekar mentioned.

“India lost the game when they allowed South Africa to go beyond 250” – Sanjay Manjrekar

The pitch in Paarl was quite slow coupled with uneven bounce which made it hard for the batters to get their eye in. However, once they managed to do so, it became quite easy to adjust to the track, something which Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen showed.

“Just far too many runs to chase, especially in a day game where the pitch wasn’t going the get easier for the batters chasing and the ball wasn’t going to get wet because of the dew…”

“There was some hope at the start but somebody had to carry the bat through the innings. Shikhar Dhawan got out after being set, Virat Kohli as well. It was always going to be difficult… I think India lost the game when they allowed the opposition to go beyond 250,” Manjrekar mentioned.

South Africa won the first ODI by 31 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.

Also Read – IND vs SA: “We Played Close To A Perfect Game” – Temba Bavuma After South Africa’s Win In 1st ODI