Gautam Gambhir helpless as Rishabh Pant backed to be careless: 'He is a batter England fear'
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India began their tour against England in 2025 in Leeds; this was the first match for both sides, India and England, in this current ICC World Test Championship cycle, which will be held from 2025 to 2027.
India played their first match at Headingley, which was marked with twin hundreds from Rishabh Pant and three more centuries from others. Despite all, India began the series with a loss and then won their first match at Edgbaston.
The Birmingham Test was largely dominated by Shubman Gill, who single-handedly set the stage ablaze with 430 runs alone in the game. India won the match despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah in the squad. The Lord's Test was a roller-coaster ride, with either the Indian bowler or the English bowlers all teaming up to work wonders at times.
Sanjay Manjrekar on Rishabh Pant's aggression
Out of many players in the Indian team who have shown promising form, there has been one player, cricketer Rishabh Pant, who has changed the course of the game with his ability to play unorthodox shots.
Sometimes, Rishabh Pant's batting approach has been under the radar of questions. Some have said that he should be more responsible while playing at crucial junctures of the game, while some have kept faith in his aggressive batting style.
Especially going into England, one of his favourite provinces in world cricket, the wicket-keeper batter has scored a large number of runs. Seeing his success with the approach, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has backed him to remain firm with his antics.
“Rishabh Pant will play in his way no matter what the situation is. He should get that license because he deserves it. The batting unit has to function well. Jaiswal must think a bit about how he got out. He should make use of his form. Pant, I feel, is a big player at No. 5. He is a batter who England fear,” said Sanjay Manjrekar on Star Sports.
'Gill should introspect.' Sanjay Manjrekar on the Indian skipper
Shubman Gill was named the Indian skipper after Rohit Sharma retired from the longest format of the game. The batter is now playing for India in a new position at no. 4, replacing the former skipper Virat Kohli.
Shubman started the series with a stunning hundred at Headingley in the first innings, his maiden hundred in SENA countries. He backed his innings with a double-century in the first innings at Edgbaston, where India posted a record total, while he scored another 150+ score in the second innings.
Despite having scored 600+ runs, Gill could not score many runs in the Lord's Test, as he got out too early after repetitive weak performances.
“Shubman Gill’s role is important. But India should also look that there was no contribution from Gill in the batting at Lord’s and despite that the batting line-up was challenging. That is a good takeaway that we are not completely dependent on Gill,” said Manjrekar.
“I feel he has the ability to carry form. Maybe there will be some introspection in this gap. He should look at whether the altercation was necessary or should he just focus on captaincy. If he does that, then his run-making machine will run again at Old Trafford,” added Majrekar.
Will Rishabh Pant play at Manchester?
The left-handed Indian wicket-keeper is a star of the Indian Test Playing 11, as he is known for his unorthodox shots and comprehensive style of attacking gameplay. The gloveman faced a blow to his finger and was ruled out of the field.
The batting gem came to bat across both innings, with a stellar role he played in the first inning before being run out by Ben Stokes. However, this time, if Pant takes the field, he won't get a substitute in Dhruv Jurel; hence, he is likely to play in Manchester only if he is 100% fit.
Pant's recovery has not been informed as of yet; however, Rishabh Pant can also take the field as a specialist batter, with either Dhruv Jurel or KL Rahul presuming duties with the gloves.
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India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team India vs England Sanjay Manjrekar Rishabh Pant Shubman Gill
