Sanjay Manjrekar suggests resting key bowlers for the final Tests

12/03/2016

Former cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has said that India should keep rotating their bowlers between different series in order to keep them fresh and injury free for a longer time. Manjrekar also attributed India's recent successes to the improved fitness levels of the players.

"During our last tour to England in 2014, Ed Smith remarked that one of the English pacers should've been rested for the third Test. When Atherton asked him 'who,' he said that 'it doesn't matter. It's about resting one of these guys, because a fresher pacer would've added more value to the team.' It was an interesting point, and it's started to happen now. In that series, Varun Aaron was impressive in the last two Tests, because he was the freshest amongst all the Indian pacers. So, this has become a reality of our times," Manjrekar spoke about the importance of rotation policy with TOI on Friday.

Explaining how important it is to rest the key bowlers, Manjrekar added, "See, sometimes, we play people because of their performance and experience, but there've been numerous experiences in the past, like in that particular series, James Anderson seemed tired towards the end of the series and wasn't at his best. He wasn't as potent as he can be. So, we see a Stuart Broad and a Chris Woakes missing the odd Test. It's become a new thing, and there's some sense to it."

Manjrekar, also suggested that it would be better for India to rest either Umesh Yadav or Mohammed Shami, who bowled close to 80 overs in the third Test, for the final Test against England.

"They're both bowling at 140mph. They've out-bowled England and New Zealand on pace. In fact, if they see that Umesh is looking tired before the fifth Test, who knows that they may go for a fresher bowler,” he said.

Manjrekar also lauded the progress India has made in improving the fitness and fielding levels of the players.

"Fitness and fielding levels have never been better. It has greatly helped, especially when it comes to running between the wickets. In our times, fielding and running between the fielding made the difference between us and the other teams," he said.

The former batsman also pointed to the example of World T20 match against Australia where the running between the wickets by Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni helped India steal vital runs when they needed 59 runs to win from the final 5 overs.

"A classic example is India's win over Australia at Mohali in the World Twenty20. It was only due to the exceptional fitness levels. And I say this purely because of the way they ran between the wickets during their long partnership," he observed.

Sanjay Manjrekar suggests resting key bowlers for the final Tests

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