ENG vs IND 2025: 'Sudharsan won't get carried away by one good outing' - Sanjay Manjrekar
“He looked nervous to begin with, which was expected after being dropped post the first Test. That kind of omission dents your confidence," said Manjrekar.
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Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar weighed in on Sai Sudharsan’s performance following his recall for the fourth Test in Manchester. The young batter impressed with a composed half-century, scoring 61 runs off 151 balls before being dismissed by England captain Ben Stokes on Day 1 at the Old Trafford.
Manjrekar observed that Sudharsan appeared nervous early in his innings but gradually settled in, carefully organizing his game and showing patience to build a significant score at Old Trafford, which was important as wickets kept tumbling from the other end. Sudharsan had earlier featured in the opening Test at Headingley, Leeds, but was dropped for the second match, with Karun Nair taking his place.
“He looked nervous to begin with, which was expected after being dropped post the first Test. That kind of omission dents your confidence. But as the innings progressed, his composure returned. He has an organised game, and even though he’s made his mark in T20s, the way he scores reflects the fundamentals you need in Tests,” said Manjrekar on JioHotstar.
Manjrekar unhappy for dropping Sudharsan after just one game
Sudharsan can build a long Test career: Manjrekar
The cricketer-turned-commentator admitted that batting at No. 3 under the given conditions was a tough challenge. He added that Sudharsan is unlikely to get carried away by just one good performance and will instead focus on preparing himself for a long and consistent Test career.
“These were tough conditions to bat at No. 3 after being asked to bat first. He got some hard-earned runs, and more importantly, he seems like someone who won’t get carried away by one good outing — a grounded, academic type who prepares diligently. That’s the kind of player who builds a long Test career,” the former cricketer further opined.
Speaking about the match, India ended Day 1 of the fourth Test in Manchester at 264 for 4. Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his fine form with a solid 58, while Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur remained unbeaten at the crease. For England, Stokes led the bowling effort with two wickets on the opening day.
India to replace injured Rishabh Pant with Ishan Kishan
India, however, suffered a major setback as wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy after fracturing his right foot off a delivery from Chris Woakes.
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