Manjrekar Criticizes KL Rahul’s Lack of Intent in First Test Against Bangladesh
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar criticized KL Rahul’s approach on the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Rahul scored a sluggish 16 off 52 balls, adding 48 runs with Yashasvi Jaiswal, but his lack of purpose and intent drew criticism from Manjrekar.
Rahul’s dismissal came when he was caught at short-leg by Zakir Hasan off Mehidy Hasan Miraz, reflecting a defensive mindset that Manjrekar found troubling. The former batter noted that Rahul’s innings appeared aimless, a recurring theme in his career.
Rahul has accumulated 2,863 runs in 50 Test matches, averaging 34.08. Notably, he is the only Indian top-six batter to average below 35 after 80 Test innings. Manjrekar highlighted that while Rahul can look impressive on certain days, his inconsistency and tentative batting often undermine his potential.
“Completely understandable that they went for KL Rahul,” Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo. “It was just about experience, class, and recent form – the century in South Africa and an 80 in the only Test he played against England. But this is KL Rahul’s story. It is amazing that he plays a brilliant innings at the Test level and the next two to three innings, it seems like he has got a pair in the last Test.”
Rahul Backed by Rohit and GG but Performance is Yet to Come
Reflecting on his own playing days, Manjrekar admitted to experiencing similar phases where he was overly focused on technique rather than scoring. “That can happen,” he said. “It happened to me in the second half of my career when everything was internalised… instead of going to your instinct as a batter, which I think all the other Indian batters practice is about getting runs.”
Manjrekar believes Rahul’s struggles are rooted in temperament, impacting his consistency despite having played 50 Test matches. “An average of 34 with quite a few 100s in testing conditions tells you about his temperament, which we got a look at today as well,” he added.
India ended the day on a strong note, reaching 376 at stumps thanks to 199 runs partnership between Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, respectively.
