IND vs BAN: Sanjay Manjrekar questions Rohit Sharma’s decision with an interesting stat

Rohit Sharma (Twittter)

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar raised a few questions regarding skipper Rohit Sharma’s bowling choices during the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. Manjrekar argued about the non-usage of left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja against left-handed batters.

In the rain-shortened first day of the Kanpur Test, where only 35 overs of play were possible. The hosts elected to bowl first after winning the toss. The tourists put 107 runs on the board after losing three wickets, with Mominul Haque still unbeaten at 40 runs.

The former spotted what he thinks is a missed opportunity in India’s bowling approach. He took to the social media platform ‘X’ to share an interesting statistic.

“Rohit needs to be shown this stat- JADEJA vs COOK, 2016 series: In 8 innings, got him out 6 times, conceded just 75 runs. Rohit tends to not bowl Jadeja early when there are left landers out there,” he wrote.

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Every captain has an approach, keeping in mind the bowlers he has: Sanjay Manjrekar 

He elaborated his point on similar lines during a post-day analysis on ESPNcricinfo and acknowledged that while captains often have preferred bowlers, match-ups should be guidelines rather than rigid rules. He mentioned Sharma’s preference for off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in spin-friendly conditions but emphasized the importance of considering Jadeja’s track record against left-handed batters.

“Every captain has an approach, keeping in mind the bowlers he has. It’s nothing wrong because captains tend to trust some bowlers more. I have noticed this, not particularly in this series, when it comes to spin, Rohit favours Ashwin a bit more.

Yes, he did have a reason here because there were two left-handers, but match-ups should merely be guidelines. As you see in this series, in the previous match, Shakib Al Hasan had troubled Rishabh Pant, and there was also a dropped-catch scenario. This is an ongoing trend even in Test cricket, but you have a quality bowler like Jadeja, who has a good record against left-handers. “Remember, he dismissed Alastair Cook six times in eight innings. So not giving him the ball at all was baffling,” he said.

The second day of the Test was called after no play was possible due to continuous drizzle and a wet outfield. Both sides will take the field on Day 3.