'He's great player': Sanjay Manjrekar defends Rishabh Pant’s aggressive approach despite recent failures

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's struggles in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia have sparked debate, but Sanjay Manjrekar has urged critics to focus on his failures rather than how he fails with the bat so far Down Under.

Rishabh Pant is known for his fearless batting, but his aggressive approach backfired during the ongoing five-match Test series, where he has failed to turn promising starts into big scores. In the Boxing Day Test, Pant lost his wickets in both innings while playing the risky shots.

Rishabh Pant’s aggression under fire as India trails in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25

A poorly timed lap shot in the first innings and a reckless slog in the second innings came at critical moments, handing Australia a decisive advantage during India’s 184-run defeat in the fourth Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Melbourne on December 30.

Read Also: Watch: India arrive in Sydney for final BGT 2024-25 Test without Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah

These dismissals drew sharp criticism, with Sunil Gavaskar branding his approach as "stupid" during commentary. Notably, Rishabh Pant's numbers on the ongoing Australia tour have been underwhelming. In seven innings across four matches, the left-handed batter has amassed only 154 runs at an average of 22, with a top score of 37 against Australia.

This performance is sharply contrasting with the Indian wicketkeeper-batter’s impressive overall record in Australia. Across 11 matches, Pant has amassed 778 runs at an average of 45.76 and a strike rate of 66.72, including a century and two fifties in Australia.

Sanjay Manjrekar urges critics to focus on Rishabh Pant's failures instead of playing style

Despite his current slump, Sanjay Manjrekar believes that criticism should focus on his performance rather than his natural game. While Pant’s fearless style has often won matches, his inability to adapt in crucial moments has now become a point of concern.

The former Indian batter defended Rishabh Pant, urging critics to focus on his lack of runs rather than his attacking style. As Pant’s natural attacking style has brought glory to India in the past, Sanjay Manjrekar mentioned the Indian star’s impressive Test average of 42, six centuries, and seven nineties in just 42 matches to highlight his talent and match-winning potential.

Read Also: Sunil Gavaskar exposes Virat Kohli’s technical flaws, blames seniors for India's MCG Test loss

The cricket pundit believes that Pant is a great player struggling to deliver consistent runs, which remains the real issue in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, where Australia took a 2-1 lead after winning the Adelaide and Melbourne Tests against India.

Rishabh Pant should be criticized only for his failures: Sanjay Manjrekar after the Boxing Day Test

Taking to his social media handle on December 31, Sanjay Manjrekar shared his thoughts by saying, “Pant should be criticized only for his failures, rather than how he fails. He averages 42 in Tests with at least 3 great innings ever played by an Indian! In 42 Tests, he has 6 hundreds & 7 nineties. He is a great player, not scoring enough runs, and that’s the crux of it. #INDvsAUS.”

Pant should be criticised only for his failures, rather than how he fails. He averages 42 in Tests with at least 3 great inngs, ever played by an Indian!
In 42 tests he has 6 hundreds & 7 nineties. He is a great player not scoring enough runs & that’s the crux of it. #INDvsAUS

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 31, 2024

Notably, the fifth and final Test of the ongoing BGT 2024-25 will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney, starting from January 3, 2025, with India aiming for a draw to retain the trophy in Australia for the record third straight time.