Defence under fire: Ex-India star warns India's batting is slipping
Defence under fire: Ex-India star warns India's batting is slipping
After a 30-run loss to South Africa at Eden Gardens, ex-batter Sanjay Manjrekar says defensive batting has faded as T20s dominate, urging a rethink of pitches and training.
Kolkata hosted a sobering cricket moment as India were bowled out for 93 while chasing 124, slipping to a 30-run defeat that reinforced a growing debate about the future of Test cricket. The loss, coming in under three days, marked India’s fourth home defeat in six Tests and stretched the question: is the long format losing its grip on Indian cricket?
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar did not mince words, arguing that Test cricket is being squeezed by the relentless pull of T20 leagues and white-ball cricket. He warned that the sport has gradually shifted priorities away from tests, with players offered more lucrative short-format opportunities. The result, he suggested, is a gradual erosion of the defensive skills that once defined Indian Test cricket, with defending even a single quality spell becoming harder when it is not the focal point of development.
Manjrekar pointed to a shift in technique and conditioning, explaining that, decades ago, batters obsessively worked on rock-solid defence because Test cricket ruled. Today, he says, tests are the last priority, and that mindset translates into the field and in the nets. To revive competitive Test cricket, he even proposed a rethink of pitch philosophy—perhaps borrowing from English conditions where the ball moves and batters are forced to negotiate different lengths and lines.
Back in Kolkata, the mood was contemplative as former players weighed in on the wider implications. Gautam Gambhir, while backing his players in the aftermath, acknowledged the need for reflection, suggesting that responses to setbacks are part of the game’s evolution. He stressed confidence in players like Rishabh Pant, calling him a world-class batter who can bounce back in the next assignment.
The on-field questions extended beyond this single match. Wasim Jaffer urged coach Gambhir to revert to more traditional Indian pitches, arguing they better test technique and prepare a more robust side. Others pointed to calls for greater consistency in spin play and batting against quality spin, areas where India’s plans would need sharpening if they want to reclaim the flagship Test status they’ve long associated with home conditions.
In the end, the debate circles back to a simple reality: top-level cricket demands continual adaptation. If India want to maintain dominance in the longer format, a renewed emphasis on defence, a reconsideration of pitches, and a strategic balance between the formats may be required. The wait for the next Test will be a test of how quickly the system can recalibrate around a sport that’s increasingly defined by shorter formats, without losing the soul of the long game.
