We have to find guys who are not going to be fatigued: Sanjay Manjrekar on India’s immediate strategy ahead of West Indies tour

With the Caribbean tour on the horizon, discussions about how the Indian squad for the bilateral series which is scheduled to kickstart with a couple of tests, is starting to intensify. With the names being thrown about in the mix from various experts, one of the major topics that is being circulated eagerly is whether India would finally introduce a flurry of fresh faces in the mix.

Former Indian batter, Sanjay Manjrekar, shared his two-pence on the topic, highlighting that players who will not be fatigued in the long term is the need of the hour for Team India, while the selectors should also look into top performers in the domestic circuit and give them a shot.

Talking to ESPN Cricinfo, Majrekar said, “The game changers for Australia in the WTC final - Steve Smith and Travis Head - don't play a lot of T20 cricket. So we have to find guys who are not going to be fatigued or don't have to make the adjustments from IPL to Test cricket. About time we start rewarding the guys who are doing well in First-Class cricket. And not just runs. The selectors could look at players who have it in them to be future Test players and succeed in foreign conditions. I would like to see at least three new batters come into play in the picture and new fast bowlers.”

He further added, “When it comes to batting, they just have to look at First-Class performers and not just the amount of runs the player has scored. If you closely observe our domestic cricket then you will find players for No.3, 4, 5 who have a decent defensive technique, have an appetite for runs and that's your guy, that's the guy to back.”

He concluded by talking about the bowlers, adding, “Just a few months back I was taking pride in the depth that we have in our seam-bowling department and suddenly Bumrah is not fit. There are quite fit others like Prasidh Krishna so maybe for Test cricket, India need to create a new line of fast bowlers. Now you should look for specific test players. If somebody gets injured, we should have backups ready. Like Scott Boland came in straightaway and made an impact. We had to go back to Umesh Yadav which is not a good sign.”