India Were Hard Done By Weather Gods: Manjrekar On Shift in Pitch Conditions

Speaking on ‘Match Centre Live’, JioHotstar experts Sanjay Manjrekar and Jonathan Trott analysed the changing pitch dynamics, Rishabh Pant’s determined knock, debutant Anshul Kamboj’s first spell, and India’s challenge to contain England’s scoring rate.

“What this tells us is that India were a bit hard done by the weather gods. During their batting, there were dark grey clouds, some moisture — it looked like a black-and-white movie at one point. But today, the pitch really eased up and the skies cleared. Suddenly, it looked like a completely different Test match. England could very well get a big score, because even someone like Jasprit Bumrah found it hard to bowl a wicket-taking delivery on this surface. So yes, India will be glad they got those two wickets when they did.”

“It’s tough, especially for someone making his debut. Ben Duckett was merciless and targeted Kamboj just because he was new. There wasn’t much in the pitch for him. Bumrah looked the least threatening he has this entire series — so we have to see the other bowlers in that light too. Shardul Thakur bowled a few good balls, but there’s always a boundary around the corner with him. That will be a problem for India — the run rate. Perhaps spin should have come on earlier. Jadeja only came in after the 26th over, and that’s something the team management may need to rethink when conditions offer nothing for seam.”

“I’m very happy for Kamboj — there are clear signs that he has potential. He’s got a simple, repeatable action, but he can’t afford to bowl back of a length or good length at under 130 kph. That’s an area for improvement. To be fair, the pitch also changed dramatically on Day 2, so he didn’t get much help either.”

“He clearly had big goals for himself. He wasn’t just trying to hang in there or survive. The way he batted — hitting a six — showed he came in with purpose. And when he got out to a beauty, he was really disappointed. That’s because he sets the bar high for himself. He’s not someone who follows how others approach things conventionally. I’m sure he insisted on batting then and there — because he wanted enough time for his bat to do damage, instead of walking in later with just tailenders for company.”

“This is where the advantage of winning the toss comes in. At the time, it seemed England made the right call — and India batted well in the morning. But in the UK, afternoons tend to be better for batting. The pitch on Day 2 and Day 3 at Old Trafford is generally the best to bat on. England will try to capitalise on that tomorrow. But they can’t look too far ahead — the first hour and first session will be key. If India get things right with the new ball, especially with some cloud cover like in the previous mornings, they can claw back into the game.”