Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar did not shy away from criticizing the Indian team management for their decision to send Sarfaraz Khan in to bat at No. 8 during the third and final Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. 

India's batting lineup faced yet another disappointing collapse in the first innings of the third Test, as the team struggled to build momentum against a disciplined New Zealand bowling attack.

A major talking point from the match came when the in-form Sarfaraz Khan was held back and sent lower down the order, reportedly to maintain a left-right batting combination. This move puzzled many, including Manjrekar, who expressed his frustration over this decision.

Despite Sarfaraz’s rich vein of form, having scored 150 runs in the second innings of the first Test in Bengaluru, the Indian management opted to send Ravindra Jadeja ahead of him. Sarfaraz, who has been consistently performing with the bat, eventually came out to bat at No. 8, which did not sit well with the former cricketer-turned-commentator.

Manjrekar took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his disapproval, stating, “A guy in form, has 3 fifties in his first 3 Tests, gets 150 in the Bangalore Test, a good player of spin, pushed back in the order to keep left & right combination?? Makes no sense. Sarfraz now walking in at no 8! Poor call by India."

In India’s first innings, they managed to post 263 in response to New Zealand’s 235, gaining a slim lead of 28 runs. At the time of writing, New Zealand is at 94/4, with the lead of 66 runs, with Will Young batting on 34 off 69 balls.