Border Gavaskar Trophy: Sanjay Manjrekar sets the internet on fire with his scathing tweet

There is no hiding from the fact that the Indian batters have emerged as the most disappointing element in the campaign Down Under. The sole victory for India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy came in the opening Test in Perth. Even in that contest, the batters collapsed for a mere 150 against the Australian pacers in the first innings. It was only after the splendid fifer by Jasprit Bumrah that batters like KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Virat Kohli delivered redeeming knocks in the second innings. Moving ahead, that redemption has been buried deep. None of the batters, barring the young Nitish Kumar Reddy, have taken the onus to drive the Indian batting innings. Three matches into the BGT, Sanjay Manjrekar has raised questions about the batting coach.

Indian batting shows no sign of redemption in the Border Gavaskar Trophy

India started the Border Gavaskar Trophy with the entire batting order consisting of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli bundling out for 150. While the trio staged a turnaround to secure a 295-run victory in the Perth Test, that winning tale now seems like a distant memory. Shubman Gill, marking a swift recovery from his injury, and Rohit Sharma, fresh off his paternity leave, joined the team ahead of the Adelaide Test. However, the batting order folded like a house of cards against the pink ball. Jaiswal registered a platinum duck, and Virat Kohli resumed his dry run in the format. Gill and Rohit Sharma, batting down the order, provided no respite. The story remained eerily similar in the second innings of the day-night fixture as the Kangaroos claimed a 10-wicket win to level the Border Gavaskar Trophy series 1-1.

The Brisbane Test seemed like a good stage for the visitors to reclaim their lead, with the Gabba being the venue of the iconic breach in 2021. However, three days into the rain-marred match, none of the Indian players except Jasprit Bumrah have made any impact. Travis Head and Steve Smith cruised seamlessly to their respective tons, dominating a bowling attack consisting of Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Ravindra Jadeja. Coming out to bat on Day 3 against the mammoth 445-run total set by Australia, Indian batters gifted their wickets like Christmas presents to the Aussies.

Sanjay Manjrekar fires at the batting coach following India's yet another disappointing performance in the Gabba Test

Moments into the second innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal walked off after the second ball bowled by Mitchell Starc. In the five innings that Jaiswal has played so far in the BGT, this is the third time Starc has dismissed him, with two of those dismissals being ducks in the opening innings at Perth and Adelaide. Shubman Gill, with a forgettable record beyond the subcontinent, departed cheaply as the story remained the same as in Adelaide. Virat Kohli, for the nth time, lost his wicket to an outside-off-stump delivery. Just like that, Australia reduced India to 22 for 3 at the Gabba.

From the Australian pacers to a viewer sitting in India watching the match, everyone has gauged by now that the easiest way to dismiss Kohli is to lure him into nicking a widish delivery. For a modern-day legend to fall so easily into the same trap consistently has grown to be frustrating, to put it subtly. Rishabh Pant failed to replicate his 2021 Gabba heroics as he fell to Starc for a mere score of 9. With India reeling at 51 for 4, Day 3 concluded early as rain and bad light in Brisbane played a blessing in disguise for the visitors.

While the Indian batters have faced significant criticism for their consistent failures, repeated dismissals of players like Jaiswal and Kohli to the same traps have put the batting coach under scrutiny. Former Indian player Sanjay Manjrekar expressed disappointment in the coaching setup following the third day of the Gabba Test. For the unversed, Abhishek Nayar, opted by India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir, is the designated assistant coach of the team, overseeing the batting order. Nayar is further aided by former Netherlands player Ryan ten Doeschate.

"I guess the time has come to scrutinise the role of a batting coach in the Indian team. Why major technical issues have remained unresolved for so long with certain Indian batters," Sanjay Manjrekar wrote on X.

Sanjay Manjrekar has emerged to be known for his contrasting views on the game. However, given the performance of the Indian batters in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, this time Manjrekar is not going overboard. His comments seem to be aimed at Virat Kohli’s repeated dismissals to fourth and fifth stump deliveries in consecutive innings. Moreover, what appeared to be a batting-friendly pitch during Australia’s innings seemed like a bowling paradise when the Indian batters took strike. Perhaps it’s not the Gabba turf but the technical shortcomings of the Indian batsmen themselves that are derailing their Border Gavaskar Trophy campaign.