Test cricket is outdated concept: Manjrekar

[Gunner_Mania]

Two Tests too little - Manju self pawning himself.:hysterical: You have got to listen to this. http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/video_audio/480038.html

Akhila Ranganna: Hello and welcome to ESPNcricinfo. India have just completed a thrilling one-wicket victory over Australia in Mohali and with me is Sanjay Manjrekar to look back on the Test. Sanjay, when we had spoken on the third day and you had said that this Test looked like it was heading towards a draw. But really, this has turned out into one of the most exciting Test finishes that we have seen… Sanjay Manjrekar: Absolutely. When a team bats first and gets 428 and then team batting second also gets past 400, you start looking at the pitch conditions and just applying cricketing logic - and I think most people at that stage thought that both teams were even after the innings and most likely the Test would end in a draw. But this is another thing about the game; it is not always correct to apply cricketing logic because there always has to be a disclaimer that something like this would happen. It was a tremendous turnaround in the second innings. Both sides didn't bat that well, but it provided a brilliant finish to a Test and this is the beauty of Test cricket. It is a bit too long for modern audiences but the drama that it creates over the five days is just brilliant. I am hearing fireworks outside my house and that is something you don't get to hear too often in a Twenty20 win or the ODI games that we play. This Test has shown that Test cricket gives us something very special and even the modern audiences would have been hooked onto this Test. AR: Today was all about VVS Laxman. Two back-to-back match-winning knocks from him; he batted with a bad back today and with a runner, but he held his nerve, scored at a tremendous rate and rotated the strike perfectly… SM: Next I would really like to see Laxman bat blindfolded against Australia, and even then the Australian bowlers would be wary of him. Nothing much was expected from him because a back problem for a batsman nearly paralyses you. You can perhaps work around say a hamstring pull as a batsman but a back problem is a real handicap. Perhaps that was what allowed him to be calm and play like he had nothing to lose. That may have been the feeling he had when he came into bat and just watching some of the back-foot drives he played, he was just very composed knowing that whatever he got would have been a bonus. So that would have helped him. But it was tremendous batting, firstly, on the pure quality of shots and the batting mechanism we saw and also his batting mindset. On occasions he lost his cool a bit with the runner situation, but the moment he faced the ball, you could see that he was well in control of his emotions and very calm. To have two such innings, in two consecutive Tests and with no cricket in between - remember, this is a guy who plays no Twenty20 or 50-over cricket. I have been a situation like that where you play just Test match to Test match and it is not easy. And every time I meet him or communicate with him on the phone I keep telling him how amazing it is that he can provide such quality innings playing international cricket after such long gaps. AR: The Sachin Tendulkar-Laxman partnership got things going for India but the Ishant Sharma-Laxman partnership would have really frustrated the Australians. Ishant really played his part in India's victory, today, with the bat… SM: Tendulkar looked very good and I thought he would be the man to take India through because Laxman came in with a bad back. So the security of the win would have to be provided by Tendulkar which he was doing quite well. It was unfortunate, the way he got out, but he looked like he was in his zone. Ishant's three-wicket burst was unexpected and that was what brought about the unexpected turnaround in this Test. But we are not seeing him bat this way for the first time. He has got a defensive technique that a batsman would be proud of. He has a short back-lift, he is good in front-foot and back-foot defence; on a couple of occasions he was troubled by the short-pitched delivery just like the frontline batsman were. He also has the temperament to go with it. When a tailender hangs around for such a long time taking on the fast bowlers, I feel for the them. This is the kind of evidence, when guys who show grit and courage become borderline selections, that the selectors should keep in mind, to keep them in the team. AR: It was Ishant's spell before lunch on day four that was critical wasn't it? The Australians had started off positively through Shane Watson and it looked like they were set for a huge lead. But after a disappointing first innings, Ishant found some rhythm before lunch and picked up those three crucial wickets that swung the momentum towards India… "But Ishant's spell was the turning point in the second part of the Test. And after that the other Indian bowlers didn't allow the Australians to rise back. Harbhajan Singh got two wickets, Pragyan Ojha got two wickets and Zaheer Khan finished No. 9, 10 and 11. So India was relentless in the field and it was just the kind of reply they had to give to show that they were still in the game" SM: That was the turning point of the second half of the Test. This was a Test of two halves. The first was in the first innings was where the batting of both the teams clicked and bowling was hard work. The second half was the low-scoring one where runs weren't really coming easily. Though the pitch wasn't too bad till the end, run-making was difficult because the bowlers were charged up and the SG ball was a great friend for the bowlers. Without the SG ball we wouldn't have had this kind of a Test because it gives something for the seam bowlers when it gets old as well on these Indian pitches. So we have to note that. But Ishant's spell was the turning point in the second part of the Test. And after that the other Indian bowlers didn't allow the Australians to rise back. Harbhajan Singh got two wickets, Pragyan Ojha got two wickets and Zaheer Khan finished No. 9, 10 and 11. So India was relentless in the field and it was just the kind of reply they had to give to show that they were still in the game. AR: Let's spare a thought for Australia. Now in a previous discussion, you and Ian Chappell had said that Australia had the best bowling attack under all conditions. Now even though they lost today, that attack allowed them to come very close, especially their fast bowlers… SM: We have a right to celebrate an Indian win and the Indian team should be congratulated but we should also bear in mind that this Australian team is relatively inexperienced in these conditions as compared to the Indian team and that pitch in Mohali was a typical Indian pitch. From that standpoint you have to admire the fight that Australia put up. Doug Bollinger pulled his weight, Ben Hilfenhaus was getting the ball to swing, Mitchell Johnson was always going to be the strike bowler, Nathan Hauritz got wickets on a few occasions and I thought Marcus North was quite impressive. The only problem I see with Hauritz and that is a problem that a lot of overseas spinners have when they come to India is that he is not accurate enough to really put the pressure on the Indian spinners. Now because the pitch offers a little more for spinners in India, it is very important for them to be accurate. The overseas spinners should watch the Indian spinners of the past who have been brilliant on Indian pitches and it is not just the big names, but even the local domestic spinners. All they did was bowl accurately on one spot and let the pitch do the rest. Shane Warne started doing that on his later trips to India and Hauritz should learn to that. So that is perhaps a little weakness in the spin department, but overall, a great example of never-say-die and ability from their faster men. AR: But Hauritz will be that area of concern going into the second Test in Bangalore. We saw Ricky Ponting use North and Hauritz in the final stages of this Test, so do you see a change there, for Bangalore? SM: I am not sure because I think it will depend on the pitch. If they realise this pitch has nothing for the spinners they might be happy playing Marcus North and getting in another seam option or an additional batsman because their batting has been the slight concern. Watson has got runs and so has Ponting but they haven't all clicked together. That is the reason we had this exciting Test with that second-innings collapse. The batting may be a slight worry but they will pick their final XI after looking at the conditions on Bangalore. I am sure Hauritz will be someone Ponting will look at; don't forget he started off with Hauritz today, so he is looking to give Hauritz all the confidence that he needs. It is just a matter of Ponting deciding whether Hauritz is the long-term solution and so he needs to be backed, and if so, Hauritz might still keep his place. AR: Ponting and MS Dhoni both said that this has been one of the most exciting Tests they have been part of. Using this as a starting point, what do you think we can expect in Bangalore? SM: This has been a great curtain-raiser to the series. When you have India and Australia playing a Test series what is the logic of having two Tests? It is a shame. It is like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal playing a best-of-two-sets Wimbledon final. It is a missed opportunity for the administrators. This should have been a minimum three-Test series or even five-Test matches. This is something the administrators can learn from because this battle between India and Australia could continue in this fashion for a while because both teams have a great attitude towards the game. It is shame we have just the Bangalore Test, but let us expect another thriller. I wonder if it will live up to the expectations after the kind of start we have had but we can only be grateful to both teams for providing such a great Test at a time when people are sceptical about the future of Test cricket. AR: Thanks Sanjay for your views.

[jaggadaku]

I hope Manjrekar sir make a prediction that India can't win 2011 world cup

[DomainK]

:haha: Seems Manjrekar has learned the art of u-turns from Pakistan cricket.

[ina_jawaan]

i always thought SM was a shameless populist - this proves it. He will say or do anything to keep himself in the limelight - he was an extremely talented batsman (and the son of a truly great cricketer) but it must have been such flaws in his character which prevented him from making the most of his talent on the cricket field. Now he has been exposed as a philistine and a parvenu in his knowledge of and respect for the game's traditions - hopefully he will never be taken seriously as a cricket pundit after this.

[putrevus]

Manjrekar is an Idiot of first order who has so much inferiority complex , he is like many other indians Media men they cant get enough of "Indians cannot do anything right and what ever any foreigner does is always right". He was praising Aussie Attack what a fricking idiot Indian attack which won in SL was also very inexperienced but never ever did this idiot give any credit to them, here also he gives more credit to Aussie Bowlers than India bowlers Chennai 2001 when Indian won by 2 wickets chasing 155 was credit for Aussie fighting spirit, India was 90 odd for 1 there and Aussies never gave up, funcky miller out bowling Shane Warne there. But in this Test Aussies just choked, India were 8 down they could not cross the finish line that is the difference.Indians almost choked there in Chennai but here Aussies Choked period. What is with this fricking Idiots saying two tests is too small it should be four or five tests where is the time, it was organised outside ftp so it has to be two tests only why moan and whine instead of appreciating good test match.

[SachDan]

Self pwnage at its best :hysterical::hysterical:

[SachDan]

:haha: Seems Manjrekar has learned the art of u-turns from Pakistan cricket.

While working for Ten Sports, he regularly covered Pakistan cricket for few years. That seems to have helped him in taking shameless u- turns :)

[Shane]

Manjrekar

transparent :rotfl:

[Bradman99]

This guy is a goose. The day test cricket dies is the day I'll lose a lot of interest in cricket. It is the best form of cricket, everybody knows that. 20/20 involves so much luck, test matches are the pinnacle- the real tester.

[achilles]

Manju.... :hysterical: GM

[vvvslaxman]

Manju your commentary is outdated. You take a break and read stories for small kids. THey might start snoring moment you open the book.

[The Dark Horse]

Manju your commentary is outdated. You take a break and read stories for small kids. THey might start snoring moment you open the book.

Totally agree! Manju:rotfl:

[King Tendulkar]

Self pwnage at its best :hysterical::hysterical:

:hysterical:Total self pwnage:hysterical:

[Manny_Pacquiao]

this man is an absolute dog. out of all the commentators there are in the game today, this is the guy i hate most.

[achilles]

out of all the commentators there are in the game today' date=' this is the guy i hate most.[/quote'] Ranjith Fernando, Aamer Sohail and Russell "defineetly" Arnold take absolute offence. Russell defineetly thought he was the worst :hitler:

[cricket ka bat]

There is no cure for baldness and jealousy. Manju is a loser!

[Rajan]

shameless guy. he lost whatever standing he had,when he made that " elephant in the room" comment about Sachin. he would be crying about it every time SRT proves him wrong, and that is happening almost every match SRT plays these days. the "Test cricket is out dated" concept was his brain fart when he could not digest SRT and Indian team's win in SL . He must be leading a miserable life being jealous of SRT's success and achievements. SRT does not represent india in 20-20 and may be that was the reason Manjrekar was hyping 20-20 and playing down Tests. now he would keep his face somewhere deep down in his bottom.

[Shakthi]

Manju is not even good expert to criticise Sachin & India this is the same guy who said Indian team are tigers at home and lambs at overseas.

[EnterTheVoid]

Two Tests too little - Manju self pawning himself.:hysterical: You have got to listen to this. http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/video_audio/480038.html

I was about to post this

[gaurav92]

Manju :hysterical: Self Pwned :hehe: