India capped off an emphatic home Test series victory against England with yet another stunning win in Dharamsala. While veteran off-spinner R Ashwin bagged a five-wicket haul to trigger England's collapse, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes this series highlighted India's budding bowling talents who could take over in the post-Kohli era.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar praised left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav for the rapid strides he has made in Test cricket. With figures of 4/48 in the first innings, Kuldeep exposed the technical flaws of England's batters against spin. Along with Ashwin and Axar Patel who spun a web around the visitors, Kuldeep provided relentless pressure and ensured there was no escape for the struggling England batting order.
India also tested new fast bowling options like Akash Deep who impressed on debut in the final Test. With pacers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and the exciting debutants, India now have a formidable five-pronged bowling attack. This leaves visiting teams with no margin for error on tricky sub-continent surfaces.
Looking at the long term, Manjrekar feels optimistic about India's future batting stocks with talented youngsters getting opportunities. Debutants Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar and Dhruv Jharel showed promising skills at the highest level. However, he cautions us to wait and observe their performance in foreign conditions before labeling them as the future.
As iconic cricketers like Kohli and Rohit eventually retire, Manjrekar is confident that India's current crop of young blood will be ready to shoulder the responsibility in the upcoming era. With a challenging tour of England lined up later this year, it will be illuminating to see who steps up as the leading lights to take Indian cricket forward in the post-Kohli phase.
