“It makes a lot of sense…”: Sanjay Manjarekar backs KL Rahul for the opening slot

New Delhi: Former Team India cricketer and presently cricket commentator, Sanjay Manjarekar has backed KL Rahul to continue in the opening slot for Team India at the Adelaide test.

Manjrekar stated that the decision should be based on common sense and current reality. Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul smashed the golden trio of Australia- Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc and clinched a huge first-wicket partnership, never seen before by Indian cricket in Australia.

The duo became the first one to register a 200-plus run stand in Test cricket on Australian soil on the back of a lot of perseverance, skill and talent. While Jaiswal went all guns blazing and scored a glorious 161 runs, KL Rahul on the other hand showed how to absorb pressure by allowing his partner to play freely.

Now, with Rohit walking in to stake his claim for the opening slot, Rahul’s future as an opener looks dicey. However, Sanjay Manjarekar has backed KL Rahul for the opening slot. In a recent interview on ESPN Cricinfo, the former Indian cricketer remarked:

It makes a lot of sense. Just imagine, the first-ever 200-plus partnership for the opening wicket in Australia, and we saw the result as well. I doubt this team management, which is making decisions based on cricketing logic and current form–like picking Washington Sundar over Jadeja and Ashwin–will revert to prioritising seniority and iconic status at the top…

What is the squad of both teams in the second test?

Australia squad:

Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

India squad:

Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal.