The Indian Cricket Team made history and headlines for all the wrong reasons on Friday when they recorded their lowest ever Test innings total of 36. Not since their battering at the hands of England in 1974 -- when India posted a total of 42 -- had the world's third-best Test side recorded such a low number on the scoreboard.
Sanjay Manjrekar, a former cricket and currently an analyst, opined that India's recent form against swing bowling has been dismal. Manjrekar, in a piece he authored for the Hindustan Times mentioned the scores of each that India posted in their last five innings -- four against New Zealand back in February-March -- to drive home the point that Virat Kohli-led side's colossal collapse in Adelaide was in the offing.
The scores 165, 191,242,124, that they put up against New Zealand were unimpressive, and Manjrekar was of the belief that a side like India, with the backing that it has, must strive for better. While he conceded that a number of teams struggle against swing, he added that a team of India's calibre should look to dominate all formats like Australia and West Indies of the old.
The former India batsman wrote in detail about the factors that led to the abysmal performance, namely, pitch evolution favouring the seamers; Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal's backlift left wanting for more, and skipper Kohli's weakness for outswinging balls, which Pat Cummins exploited, dismissing him for the fourth time in five Tests.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels | Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks