Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has downplayed the impact of Nitish Kumar Reddy’s absence from the fourth Test against England, set to begin on July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester. Nitish, who impressed in the third Test with 43 runs and 3 wickets, is sidelined due to a knee injury.
Manjrekar believes his absence won’t imbalance the team, suggesting that India could use the opportunity to strengthen their batting lineup, which faltered in the second innings at Lord’s. He proposed replacing Nitish with a specialist batter to avoid similar collapses.
India are also dealing with injuries to pacers Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh. Among the replacements, Manjrekar favors uncapped Anshul Kamboj, citing his outstanding Ranji Trophy performance — 34 wickets in six matches at an average of 13.79. He’s less keen on recalling Prasidh Krishna, who was recently dropped due to poor form, unless the pitch clearly supports his bowling style.
Manjrekar suggested India could field a pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Anshul Kamboj, especially if conditions in Manchester support seam and swing.
Overall, his comments reflect confidence in India’s squad depth while highlighting the need for thoughtful tactical changes amid injury setbacks.
