India vs England 2021: “He was expected to be that Jadeja kind of a bowler” – Sanjay Manjrekar says Shahbaz Nadeem was a ‘disappointment’

India vs England 2021: “He was expected to be that Jadeja kind of a bowler” – Sanjay Manjrekar says Shahbaz Nadeem was a ‘disappointment’
Shahbaz Nadeem

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar expressed disappointment with Shahbaz Nadeem‘s performance in the first Test against England in Chennai. The left-arm offie who had only played in one Test beforehand was inducted into the playing XI after an injury to Axar Patel. Although, Nadeem returned four wickets in the match, he bowled a huge amount of no-balls and also eased the pressure off England by bowling loose deliveries.

After the conclusion of the Test that India lost, there have been calls from former cricketers and fans for Nadeem to be replaced by Kuldeep Yadav who hasn’t played a Test match in two years despite being a part of the squad. Even in Australia, he was the only member from the original squad to not get a game even as net bowlers got one. The same continued here as well, as Nadeem who was a net bowler was chosen ahead of him.

Sanjay Manjrekar feels Shahbaz Nadeem was ‘underconfident’

Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar spoke on ESPNcricinfo‘s post-match show about the possible reasons for India’s loss in the first Test. “When you look at some aspects, it’s pretty obvious to see where India have lacked and where India lost the winning advantage. It started with the toss, which was important, but India have lost tosses before and there was a time when Dhoni kept losing tosses but winning matches. So that cannot be held as an excuse,” Manjrekar said.

He then talked of India’s spin department and singled out Shahbaz Nadeem saying, “Let’s talk about Indian spin. India played three spinners. You had R Ashwin, who bowled like Ashwin does but Shahbaz Nadeem was a massive disappointment. He was expected to be that Jadeja kind of a bowler… accurate and quick in the air on a turning pitch. He looked a little under confident. Washington Sundar a little disappointing after his showing in Australia so when you look at the attack, it wasn’t the usual Indian spin attack at home.”

The second Test between India and England takes place in Chennai and begins on February 13.

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