India’s first innings at the Gabba Test against Australia has raised concerns, with the team faltering due to some questionable shot selections. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli all lost their wickets cheaply, exposing India’s fragile top order and putting the team in danger of conceding a significant first-innings lead to the hosts.
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar voiced his dissatisfaction with the team’s batting approach. He highlighted persistent technical flaws in the Indian batters’ techniques, which have remained unaddressed. In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Manjrekar appeared to allude to Virat Kohli’s dismissal, as the star batter once again fell while chasing a wide delivery outside the off-stump—a recurring issue in his recent outings.
Sanjay Manjrekar’s criticism targeted the lack of progress under the team’s batting support system, stating, “I guess the time has come to scrutinise the role of a batting coach in the Indian team. Why major technical issues have remained unresolved for so long with certain Indian batters.”
I guess the time has come to scrutinise the role of a batting coach in the Indian team. Why major technical issues have remained unresolved for so long with certain Indian batters. @BCCI
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 16, 2024
Interestingly, Manjrekar’s remarks might have missed a key fact: the Indian men’s senior team currently does not have a designated batting coach. Instead, the coaching panel includes head coach Gautam Gambhir and assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate.
The absence of a dedicated batting coach raises questions about whether this gap is contributing to the team’s struggles in addressing long-standing batting flaws.
