Sanjay Manjrekar has jumped to Rishabh Pant’s defense as he faces constant criticism from fans and experts over the poor shot selections, leading to his quick dismissals in South Africa. Sanjay Manjrekar feels this is the sort of game Rishabh Pant plays, and people have got to accept that.
Rishabh Pant has found himself in the firing line once again after another cheap dismissal on the tour of South Africa on Wednesday. As the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Gautam Gambhir have hit out at the wicket-keeper batsman for his poor shot selection in the second innings of the second Test against South Africa, Sanjay Manjrekar has jumped to his defense.
Sanjay Manjrekar Defends Rishabh Pant After His Cheap Dismissal Saying He Plays Such Aggressive Brand Of Cricket And Won Matches In England And Australia
Rishabh Pant has had a habit of playing aggressive shots even during nervy phases in the game. It was this approach of his that saw him play some match-winning knocks in England and Australia. However, the southpaw hasn’t quite been able to replicate the same in the Rainbow Nation.
Though there are those who didn’t quite like the way Rishabh Pant threw his wicket on Wednesday, Sanjay Manjrekar feels the wicket-keeper batsman shouldn’t be criticized as he always plays in this manner. While this time, the approach didn’t pay off, it was the same style of play that saw Rishabh Pant win matches for India in Australia and England.
“This is a guy who, in a short career, has played two great Test innings – one against England, one against Australia. During the start of those innings, we have seen this kind of shots being played by Rishabh Pant. This is how Rishabh Pant plays. This is not him being rash or carefree.”
“I am starting to understand that this guy is pretty sharp here (pointing to the brain). People thought the short ball rattled him. He was thinking the next ball is going to be right up. That’s the one that he wanted to take on and I have seen him do that in the past. If he connects that ball and if it goes for a four or a six, then he sorts of settles down for the next 30-40 minutes. This is a guy who can also defend well. He doesn’t have a problem with the short ball,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.
Rishabh Pant had won praise all over the globe from his counter-attacking style of play during the Border-Gavaskar trophy last year. It was that approach itself that saw him usurp Wriddhiman Saha as the team’s No. 1 choice behind the stumps.
Rishabh Pant came to bat at a crucial moment on Day 3. The southpaw was convincingly beaten on the first two balls. Then, in an apparent attempt to put the pressure back on pacer Kagiso Rabada, he charged down the track and went cross-batted against a short ball. But Rishabh Pant only got a thick outside edge to the wicketkeeper.
Sanjay Manjrekar: One Has To Accept That Rishabh Pant’s High Risk Of Playing Cricket Is Playing With An Aggressive Instinct
Though players usually opt for a risk-averse strategy in Test cricket, Rishabh Pant likes to take the challenge head-on and get quick runs. Sanjay Manjrekar, hence, feels people have got to accept the way Rishabh Pant plays despite knowing that sometimes this approach will not give the desired results.
“This is Pant’s high-risk way of playing cricket. When you get those exciting results from him, and if you accept that, then you have got to accept this as well. This is one of the occupational hazards of his batting approach. Pant will get that leeway as long as he is playing those match-winning innings. But if those start to dry up, his time won’t be long. Then they will really start criticizing him and say – look, take into consideration the situation. All that sort of stuff we all know about,” he opined.
As things stand at the moment, India is on brink of defeat in the second Test against South Africa at Johannesburg. Dean Elgar’s men need 122 runs to win with 8 wickets in hand, and two days of play to go.
Apart from his quick-fire 34 runs in the first Test, Rishabh Pant hasn’t contributed much with his bat for India in the ongoing series. Rishabh Pant had scored 274 runs at an average of 68.50 in five innings for India against Australia in 2020/21 Down Under.
The keeper continued his form against England at home where he hit 270 runs at an average of 54.00 as he was the second-highest run-getter for India in the series. But since the end of the home Test series against England, Rishabh Pant has played seven Tests, all away from home, and has averaged a mere 19.23.