'I would have kept Mayank Agarwal in the team' - Sanjay Manjrekar unhappy with opener's omission in the Sydney Test

India are up against Australia in the ongoing third match of the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy at Sydney Cricket Ground. Entering the contest, India made some hard choices as they picked Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma as the two openers of the squad and dropped their regular batsman Mayank Agarwal.

Mayank wasn’t at his fluent best in the last two Test games as he could score only 31 runs across four innings. Shubman, on the other hand, impressed one and all with his debut in the purest format of the game in the Boxing Day Test against Australia as he registered scores of 45 and 35 not out respectively. Thus, when Rohit was given the clean chit for the third Test, he was expected to replace Mayank.

However, former Indian batsman and renowned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, who is known for his blunt views, is upset with the team management for dropping Mayank. Manjrekar also believes that the Australian series is a kind of test for Rohit as he hasn’t opened for India in the overseas conditions in Test format thus far and needs to prove his mettle for India in Whites.

“Rohit Sharma does not have bad numbers at the No.6 position, where he has played 25 innings. But his recent exposure in Test matches has been as an opener and there he has a very good average. But he has never opened in overseas conditions. He was not there in New Zealand and last time when he was here in Australia, he was playing down the order. So, it will have to be seen how he plays against the swinging ball,” the noted commentator said as quoted by Times of India.

It has again become a tactic of rejecting players and not selecting: Sanjay Manjrekar

As far as Mayank is concerned, Sanjay Manjrekar is of the view that the Bengaluru-born deserved more chances at the top of the order before getting dropped. Mayank boasts of having 1005 runs in 13 games at an average of 47.9 in the longest format. According to the veteran, Rohit and Mayank should have opened the batting while Gill should have been given a place down the order.

“But the person they have dropped, it has again become a tactic of rejecting players and not selecting. If it was upto me, I would have kept Mayank Agarwal in the team because he is a young player, has been in good form. I would have kept Shubman Gill down the order with Rohit Sharma as an opener.”