Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar didn’t hold back in criticizing the Indian team’s decision to send Sarfaraz Khan to bat at No.8 in the third Test against New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. On Day 2, when Rishabh Pant was dismissed, Ravindra Jadeja was sent in ahead of Sarfaraz Khan.
The team management likely wanted to keep a right-left batting combination, but Sanjay Manjrekar didn’t think this strategy made sense. Sarfaraz Khan, unfortunately, couldn’t score and was dismissed for a duck in this Test against New Zealand.
Manjrekar pointed out that Sarfaraz was in great form, having scored 150 runs in the second innings of the first Test in Bengaluru. He added that Sarfaraz is a strong player against spin, making his low position in the batting order even more confusing.
“A guy in form, has 3 fifties in his first 3 Tests, gets 150 in the Bangalore Test, a good player of spin, pushed back in the order to keep left & right combination?? Makes no sense. Sarfaraz now walking in at no 8! Poor call by India,” Manjrekar posted on X (formerly Twitter).
When Sarfaraz finally came to the crease, he struggled to make an impact. The right-handed batter was dismissed without scoring, as he misjudged the line and bounce of a delivery from Ajaz Patel.
Trying to defend, the ball touched his glove and was caught by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell. Sarfaraz’s innings lasted just four balls.
The second day of the Test started positively, with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant scoring runs quickly. They put on a partnership of 96 runs for the fifth wicket, but Pant was eventually dismissed for 60 in the 38th over by Ish Sodhi.
On Day 1, Ravindra Jadeja took five wickets to help India bowl New Zealand out for 235. By stumps, India had reached 84/4.
Having lost the first two matches, India must win four of their remaining six games to make the World Test Championship (WTC) final without relying on other teams’ results.
