“It’s a massive setback for India”: Sanjay Manjrekar believes absence of KL Rahul will hurt India on England tour

KL Rahul will miss the whole England tour due to a groin injury, and Sanjay Manjrekar has called it a setback for the Indian team.

Team India will face India in a one-off Test at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham from 1 July 2022. After that test, the team will also play three ODIs and three T20Is on the tour.

India will miss the services of their star player KL Rahul on the whole English tour. KL Rahul will miss the series due to a groin injury, and he will go to Germany for further treatment. Rahul was named the captain of the Indian team for the 5-match T20I series against South Africa, but he got injured.

Sanjay Manjrekar calls absence of KL Rahul a setback

Former Indian player Sanjay Manjrekar has said that missing KL Rahul on the England tour is going to be a big setback for the Indian team. Although he said that having someone like Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari will be helpful for the Indian team.

KL Rahul was brilliant in the last test series in England as an opener. He scored 315 runs in four games, courtesy of one century and one half-century. After that series, he became the regular test opener of India along with Rohit Sharma.

“This time around, with KL Rahul missing out, it’s a massive setback for India. But there is hope in the selection of Shreyas Iyer, if he gets a game and hopefully, Hanuma Vihari figures as well; Cheteshwar Pujara is making a comeback,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.

Hamstring/groin… usually persistent or rather recurring injuries.

Frustrating time for KL Rahul.

— Bharath Ramaraj (@Fancricket12) June 16, 2022

Sanjay Manjrekar insists that batting is going to be a big issue for team India on the England tour. He said that there is a lot of quality in the Indian seam bowling, but when it comes to batting, the team is not looking that great.

“India have the resources to fill that void. But when you look at India’s seam bowling, there is quality there and quality options as well for them to choose from apart from two spinners. Batting, like last time, will be the big challenge,” Sanjay Manjrekar added.