"We weren't willing to pay attention to it" - Sanjay Manjrekar's massive statement after India's shock loss in IND vs SA 2025 1st Test

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes Test cricket has been a dying art and the least-prioritized format for batters over the past few years. His remarks came after India suffered a shocking 30-run defeat in under three days to South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

The hosts were bowled out for a dismal 93 in the final innings, chasing 124. It came after they were bundled out for 189 in the first innings.

Reacting to the loss, Manjrekar said on his Instagram handle:

"The writing has been on the wall for a while and we weren't willing to pay attention to it. The fact of today for the last five years at least is that Test cricket has slowly but surely become the least favored format for everyone involved, especially the players coming through the ranks and most stakeholders as well. It's the last priority compared to T20s, private leagues and 50-overs cricket."

He continued:

"So what happens is Test cricket is the only format that forces you to sharpen your defensive skills. That is why players until 2000 were so obsessed with wanting a good defense because Test cricket was the No. 1 format. Now because it's the third priority for a player, defense becomes the last priority for a player, which means a batter's ability to keep the good balls away is diminishing."

The loss was India's fourth in their last six home Tests, dating back to the 0-3 series whitewash to New Zealand. It was also the second-lowest target India has failed to chase down in Tests.

"Ask them to hit the ball into the second tier of the stands" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar believes the batters of the current generation find it easier to smash sixes into the second tier than defend good deliveries in Test cricket. The former batter also called for better batting tracks to ensure high-quality cricket in the red-ball format.

"Ask them to hit the ball into the second tier of the stands and every batter today will be able to do it. But to keep good balls away is a tough one for today's players and they cannot be blamed for that. It's just how cricket has panned out over the last few years," said Manjrekar (via the aforementioned source).

He concluded:

"So if you want to see a good Test series, the time has come for us to have pitches like we had in England. That's why we had a great series to watch. The pitches were flat, which means less good balls and less difficult balls to play for batters today and that is what you call adjusting to the changing times."

Trailing 0-1 in the two-match series, Team India is in a must-win situation to avoid a home series defeat heading into the second Test at Guwahati, starting November 22.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran