Sanjay Manjrekar calls IPL generation’s seamless transition to Test cricket a ‘mystery’

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has called the IPL generation’s ability to seamlessly transition from T20 cricket to Tests a “mystery”. Comparing the shift to pop singers attempting classical ragas, he praised modern players’ adaptability, technique and concentration

New Delhi: Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has termed it a “mystery” how the IPL generation has been able to seamlessly adapt to the demands of Test cricket, comparing the modern players’ transition from T20s to the longest format to pop singers attempting classical ragas.

Manjrekar marvelled at the ability of the current generation, which has grown up playing T20 cricket, to make the significant technical adjustment required for red-ball cricket.

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“Modern pop singers, if they are asked to do classical singing, ragas, then it will be very difficult. But these people are doing that. It is a mystery to me that the generation of IPL, the generation of T20, how do they play such good Test cricket? In both game of ball and game of gain,” Manjrekar said on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan.

He was particularly impressed by the adaptability of modern batters, given the vastly different demands of T20 and Test cricket.

“More in case of batting, because there is a lot of difference between T20 batting and Test batting,” he added.

With India’s young squad featuring several IPL and T20 stars currently engaged in a two-Test series against Sri Lanka, Manjrekar’s observations underline the changing nature of the modern cricketer, who is increasingly expected to switch between vastly different formats with ease.

The ability to shift from the aggressive tempo of T20 cricket to having patience, technique and concentration demanded in Tests has become a defining feature of the current generation of Indian players.