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Cricket Players‘People thought short ball rattled him’: Manjrekar comes out in support of Rishabh Pant, says ‘he can also defend well’
Rishabh Pant was dismissed on a 3-ball duck in the second innings of the ongoing Test in Johannesburg.
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India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant faced immense flak from all corners for his rash shot selection, which led to his dismissal on a 3-ball duck in the second innings of the ongoing Test in Johannesburg.
Pant, who arrived in the middle, when India lost two set batters in the form of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane failed to contain the pressure and threw away his wickets while attempting a rash drive against South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada.
However, former India player Sanjay Manjrekar has come out in support of the 24-year-old, stating that the youngster was lauded for his aggressive batting style so his failures are bound to come in the same manner.
Manjrekar made the comments while speaking to ESPNcricinfo, where he said: "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 these kind of shots being played by Rishabh Pant. This is how Rishabh Pant plays. This is not him being rash or carefree.”
Manjrekar also mentioned a unique quality about Pant's batting, adding he also can defend well and quashed all the claims about short ball troubling the youngster.
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“I am starting to understand that this guy is pretty sharp here (pointing to 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 sort 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,” the former India batter explained.
"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 with his batting approach,” he added.
Pant, however, is yet to make an impact with the bat in the ongoing South African tour, registering scores of 8, 34, 17 and 0 in the two Tests the team have played so far.
