'Definitely it would have been...' - Sanjay Manjrekar's big statement on former skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri over pitches in BGT

Former Indian batter and current commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has come up with a big statement regarding the wickets in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia. Manjrekar felt that there would’ve been a big difference in the wickets if the pair of former skipper Virat Kohli and former head coach Ravi Shastri would be in charge.

Notably much-anticipated and one of the biggest Test events of the calendar year of 2023, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is set to commence on Thursday, the 9^th of February. Both teams will play this match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.

How will this management approach, I am not sure - Sanjay Manjrekar

"If it were Virat and Ravi, then definitely it would have been rank turners, pitches that would turn from the first session. How will this management approach, I am not sure, but let us brace ourselves for pitches that will turn from Day 1,” said Manjrekar to the ESPNcricinfo.

Furthermore, Manjrekar also talked about the build-up that fans, media, and a few of the former cricketers are creating before the series.

"Considering that there is so much build-up, anticipation and because there is so much respect for the Australian side, India has always wanted or desired pitches that turn from Day 1. That just makes their job a lot easier,” said the 57-year-old.

Here’s a look at the squad of India for the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.

Australia squad for Border-Gavaskar Trophy:

Pat Cummins (Captain), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, and David Warner.