Former Indian cricketer and renowned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has voiced his disappointment over the decision to drop young batter Sai Sudharsan after just one poor performance in his debut Test. Manjrekar believes the move negatively affected Sudharsan’s confidence, which was evident in his tentative batting during the ongoing England vs India Test match in Manchester.
“He’s Come Back Looking Nervous,” Says Manjrekar
Sudharsan, who was dropped after his debut at Headingley, returned to the playing XI in the second Test. Manjrekar observed that the youngster looked uncertain and hesitant, particularly when facing deliveries outside the off-stump.
“Just going to focus on Sai Sudharsan here, it’s a story in itself,” said Manjrekar while commentating on JioHotstar.
“𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆-𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒇, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓-𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒔.”
According to Manjrekar, Sudharsan’s approach seemed more focused on survival than scoring, a mindset likely born from the fear of being dropped again. The former cricketer emphasised that such fear-based thinking is detrimental, especially for young players trying to cement their place.
Sanjay Manjrekar Calls for Patience with Young Talent
Continuing his critique, Manjrekar noted that Sudharsan seemed even more anxious now than during his debut match. He believes this increased nervousness stems from the fragility of a young cricketer’s confidence when not given adequate backing.
“And I really think when you have a young player to deal with, these are things you’ve got to be mindful of,” Manjrekar added.
“𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉, 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 – 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒔, 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉.”
Sudharsan Bounces Back with a Resilient Half-Century
Despite the early struggles, Sai Sudharsan showed character by notching up his maiden Test half-century. Coming to bat in the 31st over following the dismissal of KL Rahul — whom Manjrekar praised as a consistent performer — Sudharsan eventually scored a composed 61 off 151 deliveries.
At the close of Day 1, India posted 264/4 in 83 overs, with Sudharsan emerging as the top scorer of the day for India. His steady innings in the face of pressure were a testament to his temperament, even as doubts linger over the team management’s handling of young talent.
Also Read: ENG vs IND 2025: Anshul Kamboj’s Coach Reveals Journey from Quitting to India Debut
