IND vs ENG: Sanjay Manjrekar gives reality check to struggling Shreyas Iyer

Sanjay Manjrekar has his say on struggling Indian batter Shreyas Iyer.

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has given a reality check to struggling middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who has been left out of the last three matches of the ongoing five-match test series between India and England. Manjrekar stated that Iyer has to work on his defensive skills and also needs to prioritize which formats he wants to play.

The 29-year-old Iyer, who smashed a century on his test debut, has now been struggling to find his place in the test line-up. Iyer has just managed to score 187 runs in last 12 test innings with a below-par average of 17.00 and a high score of just 35 runs. In the ongoing five-match series against the Ben Stokes-led side, the right-handed batter just managed to amass 104 runs in the first two games of the series.

In a recent video on ESPNCricinfo, the 59-year-old Manjrekar said that Iyer has to decide which formats he is going to try and excel in.

“Iyer has to decide which are the formats he is going to try and excel in. If tests continue to be his priority, then he has got to work on his defensive game whether it’s pace and bounce or spin. Develop a game where he is confident in defence and then when he takes the aggressive route it is an extension of the defensive play where he is trying to dominate and not escape pressure by playing a counter-attacking game,” said Sanjay Manjrekar.

“Definitely comes in for a batter”- Sanjay Manjrekar on KL Rahul

The cricketer-turned-commentator also expressed his thoughts on KL Rahul, who is returning to the Indian test side after returning from a quadriceps injury. Manjrekar also stated that the management should look at wicket-keeping options other than KS Bharat.

KL Rahul, who missed the second match against England due to an injury, played a fantastic knock and scored 86 runs in the first innings of the Hyderabad test where the visitors won the match by 28 runs.

“Rahul definitely comes in for a batter. Have no idea how the team management and the selectors are thinking about the keeper. Before Rishabh Pant comes and takes his rightful place in the Test squad, would like to have a look at some of the other options India have,” added Manjrekar

The third test will commence on February 15 in Rajkot at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium. However, Indian veteran batter Virat Kohli will be unavailable for selection for the remainder of the tour due to personal reasons.

Young batters Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar are also part of the Indian test side. However, the participation of KL Rahul and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who have returned to the squad following injury breaks, is subjected to their fitness. Currently, the series stands leveled 1-1, where England won the first match and India won the second match.

India squad for last three tests:

Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.

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