“Shubman Gill must make a mental note” - Sanjay Manjrekar slams his captaincy in ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former batter Sanjay Manjrekar criticised Team India skipper Shubman Gill for not turning to the spinners soon enough, despite knowing that the pacers were struggling to make an impact on Day 1 of the third Test against England. The Lord's pitch lacked pace and bounce for the seamers to capitalise on, with even the edges not carrying to the slip cordon on several occasions.

Spin was introduced into the attack in the form of Ravindra Jadeja in the 48th over, moments before the Tea Break. Washington Sundar was also brought on from the other end, the very next over.

The left-arm spinner struck in the first ball of the third session by dismissing Ollie Pope. The last session saw 18 overs of spin being bowled as the old ball took the seamers out of the game even more. In their combined 20 overs of bowling on Day 1, the spinners conceded only 47 runs, which included two maidens as well.

Sanjay Manjrekar stated that Shubman Gill must not hesitate to bring on spin upon realising that the pacers are not doing the trick.

"I think everyone will agree that spin was introduced very late, and it's something that Shubman Gill must make a mental note of. Now, Australia, with the kind of seam attack that they have, and in the past as well, during the Mitchell Johnson or Glenn McGrath days, they never kept that spinner of some quality out of the game for too long. I thought Gill went with the record of Lord's, where 89% of wickets are picked by pacers, plus what the seamers had done in the last Test," Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo.

"The lesson for him was that if the seamers are proving to be ineffective, because of the conditions or sometimes you can just lose form, you must never forget about the two bowlers, who may not look likely to get wickets, but will get you wickets because they are pure bowlers. It is not a wild card that you are playing, they are two proper pure spinners, and you must learn to keep them around," he added.

Team India stuck with the same two-spinner bowling combination from the second Test at Edgbaston. Both Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar had made an impact with the bat during the 336-run win, and could have a say with the ball as well at Lord's on a slow wicket that might get progressively drier due to the heat wave.

"Clearly the pressure has got to Ben Stokes" - Sanjay Manjrekar on England's decision to bowl first against Shubman Gill and co.

A loud cheer had rung around Lord's after England captain Ben Stokes announced his decision to bat first after winning the toss. The hosts' decision to bowl first in the first two Tests were not well received, and head coach Brendon McCullum even admitted the call in the second Test was a mistake.

Sanjay Manjrekar stated that England being forced to do something against their ideal template shows that they are under pressure, and playing it safe.

"As far as the match is concerned, clearly the pressure has got to Ben Stokes. More than how they batted and the overall approach, what they did after winning the toss on a ground where bowling first has actually gotten more winning results. So, pressure on," he said.

Manjrekar also praised Shubman Gill and co. for keeping the English side on their toes despite the absence of key, experienced players amid the transition.

"All other things that have followed has a lot to do with the pitch conditions and general sort of cricketing conditions today. This is just unbelievable that we are talking about this team without three key players, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Mohammed Shami, competing in this fashion," he added.

The Indian bowlers had to toil hard on Day 1, and so did the England batters to end with 251-4 at Stumps. The Shubman Gill-led side will hope to make an impact with the second new ball on Day 2, and respond with the bat on the back of their form.