IND vs ENG 1st Test: Sanjay Manjrekar uses KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal for massive dig at Virat Kohli; ‘a former batter…'
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar minced no words in taking a massive dig at retired Virat Kohli following the Shubman Gill-led side's domination in the first innings of opening day of the first innings against England on Friday in Leeds.
Manjrekar's remarks came after Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul took their time in the middle to negate the England pace attack that featured the likes of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jos Tongue and Ben Stokes.
With the ball doing a bit, both Jaiswal and Rahul whatever offered wide of the off-stump. The duo added 91 runs before Rahul slashed a Carse delivery only to be caught at the first slip by Joe Root just before lunch.
The Kohli reference came from India's tour of Australia earlier this year when the former India captain poked deliveries on the fourth and fifth stump lines only to see him get out eight time in nine innings in a similar fashion. Notably, the weakness really troubled Kohli for most part of his Test career. He retired from the longest format last month.
On Friday, Rahul and Jaiswal showed no signs of hurry as the duo pounced on the loose deliveries for boundaries. Manjrekar, who is commentating in the series, poked at Kohli.
"Deliveries outside the off stump, full, have been left alone. Jaiswal has done that. Anything that has been pitched right up into the stumps, he has driven. Anything that has been wide, he has looked to score on. KL Rahul has not touched one delivery or attempted to play one single delivery that's been full, just outside off. Anything that has been wide, he has gone with a covered drive," said Manjrekar on air.
"So a lot of what you're seeing is being created by these two batters, and my hat's off to them. We know of a former batter who would have gone after that delivery and got himself into trouble. But not these two," added the former cricketer. Although Manjrekar didn't mention Kohli's name, it was certain that he pointed out at former India captain.
After the Test retirements of Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India handed Sai Sudharsan a debut while also recalling Karun Nair after a huge gap of eight years. While Sudharsan was out for a duck on debut at no.3, new captain Shubman Gill batted at no.4 (Kohli's batting position), followed by vice-captain Rishabh Pant. Nair, all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur follow.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
24 minutes ago
- Business Standard
IND vs ENG 1st Test: Will rain halt India's perfect start at Headingley?
The Indian cricket team kicked off their new era of Test cricket without senior stars like Kohli and Rohit, under the leadership of Shubman Gill, in the five-match Test series against England in style. On the first day of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, the visitors put on their best-ever first-day score of 359 for 3 in England, surpassing their previous record of 338 at Edgbaston in 2022. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) and skipper Shubman Gill (127 not out) were India's top stars on the day with brilliant centuries to put England under pressure early in the game. India will now look to continue their momentum on Day 2 of the Test on Saturday, June 21, but there may be a slight hiccup as the early weather forecast of Leeds for Saturday shows heavy rain throughout the day. IND vs ENG 1st Test: Leeds weather report for June 21 According to the latest weather reports from for Leeds, United Kingdom, the day will begin with a partly sunny morning, with little to no chance of rain until 5:30 PM IST (1 PM local). However, the chance of precipitation increases from 8% at 5:30 PM IST (1 PM local) to 73% by 6:30 PM IST (2 PM local). The forecast further predicts heavy rainfall with thunderstorms starting around 7:30 PM IST (3 PM local), continuing into the night. With humidity hovering around 65% and wind speeds near 18 kph, fans should brace for significant rain interruptions during the third session of play. Bowlers to get help on Day 2 While Day 1 of the Test belonged completely to the batters, with the overcast weather and high wind speeds, pacers are expected to get extra help on Day 2 of the first Test. With India already having a decent total on the board, England might fancy themselves a chance to remove the Indian wickets quickly with some assistance from the weather. But they will also have to be vigilant, as India have a seasoned pace attack in their midst, which could cause trouble for the English batting line-up.
India Today
27 minutes ago
- India Today
Stupid no more: Sunil Gavaskar in awe of Rishabh Pant's measured Leeds knock
Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was in awe of Rishabh Pant's measured innings against England on Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. Pant played an unbeaten innings of 65* (102), with a perfect blend of caution and aggression as he took India in a dominating position along with captain Shubman began his innings in his usual fashion by going after Ben Stokes on just his second ball as he used his feet and whacked him for a four straight down the ground. However, post that, the southpaw showed great restraint by not going after Shoaib Bashir, scoring just 16 runs off his next 44 measured approach earned him plaudits from Sunil Gavaskar, who's criticised his approach in the past during the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. However, on this occasion, Gavaskar praised Pant for pacing his innings well and taking advantage of the bowlers when they're tired. 'It seems like that's how he plays. When he comes in to bat, on the second or third ball, he often uses his feet and hits a boundary. It makes him feel free and then allows him to play the way he wants. Over here, he's been measured in his approach—giving himself time out in the middle. But once he's in and the bowlers start to tire, that's when he begins to step down the pitch and really attack, hitting big shots, sixes, and boundaries,' said Gavaskar on Sony Gavaskar also extolled Pant for his defensive technique against the fast bowlers, mentioning his big hundreds in overseas vs IND 1st Test Day 1 Highlights'Because he gives himself that time early on, it becomes easier for him to play those aggressive strokes later. When he defends, he seems to have so much time against the pace bowlers—it almost looks like he's taking the mickey out of them, saying, "Look, I've got all the time in the world; I don't need to play a big shot, I'm just middling the ball. He's got enormous talent. I've seen him score hundreds in South Africa and Australia, and they've been absolutely unbelievable. There's such a great blend of defence and attack—starting with solid defence and then shifting to attack,' he scored his second boundary on his 48th ball, which was through an outside edge against Chris Woakes. He finally began to attack Shoaib Bashir after 60 deliveries as he pulled him for a four and later used his feet to whack him for a six in the following over. He brought up his fifty off 91 balls and also completed 3000 runs in Watch
News18
an hour ago
- News18
IND Vs ENG, 1st Test Day 1: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal Tons Help India To 359/3
Team India finished the opening day of the first Test against England at Headingley on 359/3 at stumps as new skipper Shubman Gill and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal starred with tons on English soil. Jaiswal made an incredible 101 runs while Gill remained unbeaten on 127 runs at the end of the day. Rishabh Pant, who made an unbeaten 65 accompanied Gill at the crease when the man in the middle called time and will begin the second day alongside the captain.
