"This was the most beatable South African team"- Sanjay Manjrekar feels India will regret not winning Test series

Sanjay Manjrekar believes Team India missed out on probably their best chance to win that elusive maiden Test series on South African soil. The former Indian batter feels head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma will look back at the Test series as a missed opportunity.

Manjrekar opined that the South African team wasn't as strong as the ones India have faced over the years. He thinks the herculean knock from Dean Elgar in Centurion proved to be the biggest hurdle between India and a series win in South Africa.

Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo after the end of the Test series (2:20):

"If I am the coach or the captain, I will look at it as a regret. If you look at the past and the teams India had to beat in South Africa, they were tough teams. This was the most beatable South African team. Dean Elgar's 185 prevented India from actually creating history."

Manjrekar added that he saw no point in South Africa and India playing a three-match ODI series between the T20I and the Test rubbers (2:55).

"Said it before as well that there was no point of a three-match ODI series between the T20Is and the Test with it not even being an ODI World Cup year," he stated.

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Sanjay Manjrekar on South Africa's Test future

There has been a lot of debate about whether South Africa are serious enough about Test cricket after they announced a second-string for the tour of New Zealand as the cricket board encouraged the established players to feature in the SA20.

Sanjay Manjrekar thinks that without the recently retired Dean Elgar, South Africa's future in Test cricket doesn't seem to be great.

"Imagine this South African team without Dean Elgar. They would have lost the first Test. They don't give that much importance to Test cricket as well so I don't think the future is rosy. The bowling wasn't impressive too. I understand Dean Elgar's decision to bat first because the sun was out and the pitch was tricky," he stated (1:20).

It is perhaps a shame that such a marquee series between two extremely competitive teams didn't have a third Test.