Sanjay Manjrekar observed on Day 1 of the current first Test between India and South Africa that the visitors missed Ravindra Jadeja’s bat services. The Saurashtra all-rounder was ruled out of the Centurion game due to a back spasm.
After the hosts won the toss, the Indian team was put into bat. The Indian top-order lost way under highly favorable conditions, with the visitors tottering at 24/3 at one point. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer battled back to take the total to 92 when Iyer was removed. Things appeared gloomy at 121/6, but KL Rahul’s valiant 70* lifted India to 208/8 after the day.
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According to a BCCI statement
According to the BCCI, Jadeja complained of upper back soreness, which forced him to miss the first Test. India’s batting suffered as a result of Jadeja’s absence since his foreign batting in Tests has been exceptional.
Without KL Rahul’s tenacious 70* in the middle overs, India would not have scored 200 runs. Manjrekar stated on ESPNcricinfo that Jadeja was a huge absence for India in the Test match.
I don’t think it will make much of a difference with the ball, but things may become interesting if it doesn’t turn. Then you’ll need someone who can mislead the air, and Ashwin is a better choice. “However, if they want to score some quick runs, they won’t have Jadeja,” Manjrekar explained.
Nandre Burger’s debut, according to Sanjay Manjrekar
The former Indian batsman was thrilled by the performance of South African quick Nandre Burger on his Test debut. On Day 1, Burger took the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill and looked efficient from the start of his stint.
Manjrekar was unhappy, however, to see that the young left-arm bowler was unable to maintain consistency as he bowled more and more in the game.
Manjrekar also feels that under difficult circumstances, India has the runs and that South Africa would not gain a large first-innings advantage.
Jadeja recently got a fifty against the West Indies
Jadeja recently got a fifty against the West Indies. The batsman had also struck a century against England in Birmingham. Jadeja has constantly given value in the lower order, scoring in the 30s and 40s to assist India in increasing their totals.
The evening session of Day 1 was canceled owing to inclement weather, and the match is scheduled to be canceled again on Day 2. It has rained heavily in Centurion throughout the night, and conditions are anticipated to be cool when the Indian squad bats again. Earlier in the day, Kagiso Rabada pulled up a 5-wicket haul and put the Indian batting line-up under pressure. Several Indian batsmen were guilty of throwing away their wickets by playing bad strokes.