'This match actually has given me a lot of positives' - Sanjay Manjrekar optimistic about India's bowling

India's bowling let them down yet again in the opening fixture of the three-match T20I series against Australia as they failed to defend a daunting total of 208 runs on the board. While the bowlers received flak for their outing in the series opener, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes the team will perform at the optimum level with one or two minor tweaks in personnel.

Sanjay Manjrekar is optimistic about India's bowling ahead of the T20 World Cup and believes that the inclusion of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will resolve the bowling issues at hand. Manjrekar stated there are several positives from the bowlers in the first match, while speaking exclusively on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’.

“See after the Asia cup, I thought there were more wounds, deeper wounds. But this match actually has given me a lot of positives. The bowling issues will be easily addressed with Mohammed Shami being available and Bumrah coming back. So, there were really important positives. After the Asia cup, I was slightly disheartened and pessimistic. But after this loss to Australia, I’m not that depressed," Manjrekar said on India's bowling concern ahead of the T20 World Cup.

'India will be mindful of the skills of Harshal in Australia' : Sanjay Manjrekar

He also shed light on Harshal Patel's performance, who returned from an injury layoff that saw him miss the Asia Cup tournament. Manjrekar suggested that Harshal's biggest asset is his slower deliveries which are really slow and grip on the Indian tracks. But the pitches in Australia will be a lot harder, and it will be difficult for the deceptive pacer to trouble the batters on flat surfaces in Australia, similar to the one in Mohali.

“Harshal is someone we’ve seen for a number of years. We’ve seen him in the IPL as well. He’s a guy who rebels when the pitch is dry when his slower ball becomes really slow and becomes very difficult to play. Last time his slower balls were going at around 120kmph. So, it’s not a huge drop in pace. So, Harshal is a worry if the pitch is flat, bouncy, and pacy. That’s what you’ll get in Australia. So that’s another thing that India will be mindful of, the skills of Harshal in Australia,” Manjrekar further illustrated.