Criticism has flowed thick and fast for the Indian team after their shock loss to England at the end of the first Test match at Lord’s. It was not so much that the Indians lost the game but the manner of defeat that seems to have got the experts’ goat.
India V England 1st Test Aftermath: Manjrekar, Hussain Slam Indian Approach
India’s former middle-order batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has called for an overhaul to the way the Indian cricketers handle fitness. One of the biggest reasons of the defeat was the hamstring injury to Zaheer Khan on the first day of the Test match, that left the Indians with only three frontline bowlers for the rest of the game.
Manjrekar said that with Zaheer having played only half a warm-up game after having missed the tour of West Indies, the Indians should have known that carrying him into the Test match would have been risk. Manjrekar was at his caustic best as he said that the Indians cannot use the first Test of such an important series as a warm-up game.
Manjrekar was of the opinion that the Indian board should take some pre-emptive measures in managing player injuries and not leave it up to the cricketers themselves.
On the other hand, former English captain Nasser Hussain slammed the Indian team for their approach to the opening Test. Hussain went up to the extent of questioning the Indians on whether they valued the number one ranking in Test match cricket.
India had come into this series after a tour of West Indies where the likes of Zaheer, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir had not been a part. Then, they played in only a single warm-up game against Somerset, before taking on England at Lord’s.
Hussain said, “India expected their top strike bowler in Zaheer Khan and their premier batsman in Sachin Tendulkar to rock up without playing a Test since January and just have a bit of a hit and giggle against Somerset before the big one. They did not help themselves.”
India play England in the second Test match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham from July 29.
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