In the following question, a sentence has been given in Direct/Indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Indirect/Direct speech.Manoj said, "I must go now."

To convert this sentence from direct to indirect speech:The reporting verb "said" remains "said" and is followed by the conjunction "that".The pronoun "I" (first person) changes according to the subject of the reporting speech ("Manoj"), becoming "he".The modal verb "must" can remain "must" or change to "had to". Looking at the options, "must" is retained.The adverb of time "now" changes to "then".Option A perfectly applies these rules: "Manoj said that he must go then." (Note: 'than' in options B and D is a conjunction used for comparison and is incorrect).