Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar is not happy with India's team combination for the Melbourne Test against Australia. Manjrekar feels that the decision to drop Shubman Gill did not work well for the team as they missed out on a specialist batsman.
While Gill did not play, India opted to play just like the cops Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar together in the Playing XI. Gill was replaced by Sundar as India's only change in the Playing XI for the Melbourne Test.
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Sanjay Manjrekar is not happy with Shubman Gill's omission
During a discussion about India's combination for the Melbourne Test, Sanjay Manjrekar exploded Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir because he opted to play an all-rounder in favor of a specialist batsman. According to him, Shubman Gill could have played well on this pitch as it suited his style.
“You have tried to solve the batting uncertainties by bringing in a bowler who can bat. Nitish Kumar Reddy in the side at the expense of Shubman Gill. So, they left out a proper batsman and in hindsight you would think that on a pitch like this. , the flattest terrain of all five days so far in seriesShubman Gill would have been handy,” explained Manjrekar.
While Shubman was dropped, India also made some changes to the batting order, moving captain Rohit Sharma to his usual opening position. KL Rahul has been moved to No.3 after having a great run as an opening batsman.
Washington Sundar can never be like Shubman Gill – Sanjay Manjrekar
Further talking about India's combination, Sanjay Manjrekar claimed that India missed a trick by not having a top order batsman like Gill as his replacement Washington Sundar can never be as good a batsman as him.
“Nitish Kumar Reddy has done well and fortunately that has helped things. But it's an approach that never works where Washington Sundar has ultimately played as a batsman and will never be as good as a top order batsman like Shubman Gill.” he noted.
India fielded three batsmen in the Playing XI and the combination didn't exactly work for them as they struggled for an extra bowling option. Sundar scored a vital 50 but didn't have much to do with the ball.
Nitish Kumar Reddy slams Test Ton maiden
Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy had a great game with the bat as he slammed his Test ton. It was also Reddy's first international century and it came in a high-profile game like the Boxing Day Test.
The young all-rounder scored 114 off 189 balls and helped India close in on Australia's first innings total. Whether India opt to bring Gill back for the final Test in Sydney remains to be seen.
India will be looking to strengthen their batting order after a disappointing performance in Melbourne. Gill has had a regular Test run so far with 60 runs in two Tests at an average of 20 while batting at No. 3. Earlier, he missed the first Test in Perth due to injury.