India vs. England Test: Manjrekar Calls for Thakur's Ouster, Jadeja Under Fire After Defeat

Manjrekar Calls for Bowling Shake-Up After India's Test Defeat

Following India's disappointing loss to England in the first Test, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has urged the team management to make significant changes to the bowling attack. He specifically advocated for the inclusion of left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in place of Shardul Thakur for the second Test match.

Ravindra Jadeja under scrutiny after the first Test.

Manjrekar's comments come after England successfully chased down a target of 371 runs, exposing vulnerabilities in India's bowling lineup. While Jasprit Bumrah impressed with a five-wicket haul in the first innings, the other pace bowlers, including Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur, struggled to make a significant impact.

"Kuldeep Yadav has to come back. I'm sorry to say, but Shardul Thakur has to go out," Manjrekar stated on 'Match Centre Live'.

He further elaborated, "That is one change India will have to make... even in English conditions, they must go with quality bowlers. If that means playing two spinners, so be it. Pick your best bowlers, irrespective of the conditions. You don't have the luxury of someone like Mohammed Shami available... so I'd go one seamer short and bring Kuldeep into the XI. He has to play."

Shardul Thakur's place in the team is now under question.

Manjrekar emphasized the evolving nature of English conditions, suggesting that drier summers have made them more conducive to spin bowling.

"Let's also acknowledge that English summers these days are largely dry... and that does open the door for spin. In a way, it's time to reintroduce the idea of India playing spin in England... India need to embrace the same clarity," he added.

He recalled a time when India would confidently field three spinners, regardless of the location. "If Kuldeep is in your squad, play him. Don't go with seamers just because you're playing in England. I'd drop one seamer and bring in Kuldeep Yadav."

Focus on Jadeja's Performance

Manjrekar also shared his thoughts on Ravindra Jadeja's performance.

"It's not fair to be overly critical of younger players like Prasidh Krishna... But I am going to be critical of Ravindra Jadeja. This was a final-day pitch with rough patches for him to exploit... we have to expect more from someone of his experience."

He expressed disappointment that Jadeja didn't utilize the rough patches effectively enough, particularly against Ben Duckett. "When you're dealing with experienced bowlers and seasoned batters, you expect a higher level of tactical awareness. Somewhere, I felt Jadeja was disappointing. The seamers had no help from the surface — but Jadeja at least had something in the pitch working in his favour."