Former Cricketer Urges India to Drop Thakur, Unleash Yadav in Second Test After England Defeat

Manjrekar Calls for Thakur's Removal, Yadav's Inclusion After India's Test Defeat

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has urged the Indian team management to make strategic changes to their bowling attack following their defeat in the first Test against England. Manjrekar specifically advocates for the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav, a left-arm wrist spinner, in place of Shardul Thakur. This recommendation comes in response to the perceived bowling deficiencies that were exposed during England's successful pursuit of a 371-run target.

While Jasprit Bumrah distinguished himself with a five-wicket haul in the first innings, the other pace bowlers, namely Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur, struggled to exert significant influence. This lack of collective impact allowed England to secure a victory with five wickets in hand.

"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... India need to take a hard call: 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... so I'd go one seamer short and bring Kuldeep into the XI. He has to play."

Manjrekar emphasized the evolving nature of English conditions, noting that drier summers are making them increasingly conducive to spin bowling. "Let's also acknowledge that English summers these days are largely dry - thanks to global warming, perhaps - 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, "There was a time when India would play three spinners no matter what... 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."

Manjrekar also commented on the performance of Ravindra Jadeja: "It's not fair to be overly critical of younger players... 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 further explained, "I felt he didn't use the rough nearly enough... 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."