Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar named the player whom India missed the most during the first Test match against South Africa in Centurion. The visitors suffered a humiliating an innings and 32-run defeat in the opening Test as they were outplayed in all the departments especially bowling as the Proteas pacers ran riot on the other hand Indians had a tough time except Jasprit Bumrah.
Manjrekar suggested that India missed the services of Shami who would have exploited the conditions in Centurion very well with his ability to swing the ball from the surface.
“India missed Mohammed Shami. Because you are talking about getting the most out of the pitch by hitting the pitch and not looking for movement in the air. What does Shami do best? He gets movement on Indian pitches, where there is hardly any. So, he would have been a handful,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo.
The former cricketer further suggested that the Indian bowlers need to alter their plans in the next match to bounce back and level the series. The second match of the series will be played on January 3.
“The main takeaway, apart from getting a few more runs on the board, is that you got to bowl differently, and the Indian seamers, the quality bowlers that we have, have realized that now,” he added.
Shami was not cleared by the BCCI’s medical team and hence, was ruled out of the 2-match Test series.. The participation of Shami was subject to fitness but the Indian cricket board has confirmed that the pacer couldn’t retain his fitness on time. The 33-year-old ended the ODI World Cup 2023 as the highest wicket-taker, picking up 24 wickets in 7 matches.
He failed to make it to the XI in the first four matches but later when Hardik Pandya got injured he got the chance to play against New Zealand in the league stage and he made an instant impact with a five-fer.
He was one of the biggest reasons behind India’s sustained dominance for 10 straight games in the showpiece before losing the final to Australia.
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