"Do not think it will create much imbalance" - Sanjay Manjrekar's huge statement on Team India all-rounder's absence ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy's absence will not affect Team India in the fourth Test against England. The match is set to kick off on Wednesday, July 23, at Old Trafford, Manchester.

Nitish Kumar Reddy will not take part in the remainder of the series due to a knee injury. In the third Test, the all-rounder made 43 runs and picked up three wickets across both innings combined. Sanjay Manjrekar feels that the all-rounder must be replaced with a pure batter as India fell short of a batter in the previous Test at Lord's during the chase.

"I do not think it will create much imbalance or the Indian team will suddenly become weak because Nitish Kumar Reddy helped as a bowler in the last match but Akash Deep was off color. I do not think Nitish not being there will create much imbalance. Maybe India should replace him with a pure batter because we have seen collapses in the previous game and we were slightly short of batting in that run chase," he said on ESPN Cricinfo. (0:46)

Notably, India were bowled out for 170 chasing 193. Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on 61 off 181 balls but ran out of partners at the other end. The visitors are 1-2 behind in the series. That said, they will need to win in Manchester to stay alive in the series.

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Sanjay Manjrekar picks his three Indian pacers for the fourth Test

Looking to bounce back, India faces challenges with injuries to multiple players. While Nitish Kumar Reddy will not feature in the series anymore, pacers Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh have been ruled out of the fourth Test due to injuries.

The visitors called up Anshul Kamboj, who could be in line for a Test debut. They also have Prasidh Krishna as an option, who played the first two matches. However, Prasidh did not impress and was dropped due to his form.

Sanjay Manjrekar believes the wicket in Manchester would suit Prasidh. However, he stated that bringing him back after dropping him due to bad form does not make sense. That said, he would go with Anshul alongside Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.

"There might be cloudy conditions at Old Trafford. Then you need simple bowlers there. Maybe Prasidh Krishna is better suited if there is bounce on the pitch and he is slightly experienced as well. But if he is out of the team based on his form then bringing him back on the same form does not make sense. So I feel Anshul Kamboj should get an opportunity. He can use the conditions well. I feel Siraj, Bumrah, and Kamboj should be the three seamers," Sanjay Manjrekar said. (3:33)

Anshul was with the India A team as well. The pacer has been exceptional in domestic cricket. He has bagged 79 wickets from 24 first-class matches at an average of 22.88. The young pacer also impressed in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. He picked up 34 wickets from six matches at an average of 13.79.

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Edited by Rishab Vm