India are a bit shaken after New Zealand debacle, hell-bent on playing KL Rahul in BGT 2024-25: Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar opined that the Indian team management is in a state of panic after New Zealand whitewashed Rohit Sharma and Co. on their home soil earlier this month. The cricketer-turned-commentator feels that the panic in the camp led to the decision to select KL Rahul for the second unofficial Test between India A and Australia A.

Manjrekar said that India got their plans all wrong in the lead-up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, highlighting the squad selection for the tour games. The former India cricketer wasn't particularly pleased with Rahul being added to the side for the second game after he was dropped from the last two matches against the Kiwis. The criticism comes after the Karnataka batter failed in both innings of the tour game in Melbourne.

Notably, captain Rohit Sharma is expected to miss the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth against Australia. India are looking for an opener to fill in for the legendary batter. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is in the squad, couldn't prove his mettle in the two tour games, adding to the concern of the Indian team management.

"Clearly India is in panic mode. They are a bit shaken by what happened against New Zealand at home and that's when plans start to go awry. And that is where I believe that one has to actually look at it in a different way, where you think there's nothing to lose here, so that's the time you go back and do the right thing and play players who deserve to get a chance," Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo on Saturday, November 9.

"KL Rahul, I don't know there's some fascination that the team management and the selectors have for him, that they just want him to be a part of the playing XI whether it's at the top or down the order. Maybe Easwaran hasn't convinced them as much," he added.

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KL Rahul should consider himself very lucky to be getting opportunities: Sanjay Manjrekar

Manjrekar stated that Rahul should consider himself fortunate to be getting several opportunities to find form. The 59-year-old said that despite Easwaran's failures in the tour games, he should be opening the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first Test, which begins on November 22.

"KL Rahul should consider himself very lucky to be getting opportunities. Such comebacks and opportunities, very few players over the years have been given. Whether he is up or down the order, the fact that he has received chances despite his average dropping, I guess somewhere they hope that KL Rahul will find the form that he is capable of. But I think that Easwaran opening with Jaiswal does not fill them up with confidence, but that will be the right thing to do," Manjrekar concluded.