Former India player Sanjay Manjrekar noted that KL Rahul needs to score runs more often for India in the ongoing Test series against England.
This has been a common fault in India’s Test opener, KL Rahul; though he is a stunning batter, he has lacked consistency and has failed at times when his team needed him to excel with the bat. Rahul went on to score 42 in the first innings, while he batted for almost 40 overs in the second innings, scoring 137 runs off 247 balls.
“There is another senior batter in the team, who now has got no choice but to carry his form right through the series. Indian cricket needs him badly, and KL Rahul cannot be a one-hundred wonder or a one-Test-match performer,” said Sanjay Manjrekar on Star Sports.
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Shubman Gill backed as a batter by Sanjay Manjrekar
In the same discussion with the former Indian cricketer, Manjrekar clearly backed Rishabh Pant to hold on to his fine form for the upcoming matches, as a batter with two hundreds in the two innings receives a huge amount of confidence to carry his form forward.
“Rishabh Pant enjoys Test matches. He has not got enough runs. So he is hungry. I see Pant carrying his form,” added Sanjay Manjrekar.
He has also backed new Indian captain Shubman Gill and lauded his knock in the Leeds Test, stating that the batter is a perfect choice for the No. 4 spot in the longest format of the game.
“As a batter, sorted. No. 4 makes his job also very easy, and I just hope that he can carry on after getting to a 108 or 120 because now he knows what could happen if he gets out. So that is something he will start doing,” said the expert commentator.
“Whether they would have got wickets or not, he would have come, showing the opposition that he is going to try and get you out. Gill is not that kind of a personality nor that kind of captain,” said Manjrekar in comparison of Gill with Virat Kohli in a captaincy role.
KL Rahul needs to maintain a flow of runs with consistency
KL Rahul, ever since his debut, has been a spontaneous talent in the longest format of the game. However, his consistency has been under severe doubt, as the batter has been dropped multiple times from the Indian lineup owing to his array of weak performances.
India failed to defend 371 runs on the final day, and several Indian greats, as well as the captain Gill, acknowledged that India fell short by 60-70 runs in the second innings due to another collapse from the Indian lower order.
Considering the batting form of the lower order, the top-order batsman will have to take added responsibility for setting India a big score. Indian opener KL Rahul remains one of the most experienced batters in the longest format of the game. KL Rahul needs to cope with the English conditions and continue his domination with the ball.
How would India’s bowling unit look for Edgbaston?
After succumbing to the loss at Headingley, India would look to advance to Edgbaston with a revamped squad. They need the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, who might possibly make a return to the Indian Test side, replacing Shardul Thakur.
The Indian pace unit might not see many changes, though it is still unclear who would be the top three choices as pacers on the Indian side. If Jasprit Bumrah misses out on the Edgbaston Test, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Siraj might be seen as the pace trio.
India would then consist of 5 frontline bowlers, with Ravindra Jadeja and possibly Kuldeep Yadav emerging as spin options, and three frontline pacers also in the side.
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