Rishabh Pant Is Becoming A Consistent Batsman Across Formats: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has been mighty impressed with Rishabh Pant, who played a blistering knock in the second ODI against England in Pune on Friday. After shining in the Test and T20 arena, Rishabh Pant dazzled in his first ODI since early 2020 by hammering a whirlwind fifty. Sanjay Manjrekar stated that no matter the format, the 23-year old has made a habit of making runs, regardless of the format.

Shreyas Iyer’s shoulder injury suffered in the first ODI paved the way for Rishabh Pant’s inclusion. India had plenty of options to reply on, with Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Shubman Gill being able batters. Nevertheless, the hosts opted for Rishabh Pant, who hit 77 off 40 balls, with six fours and four maximums. The southpaw helped India add 113 off 80 balls alongside KL Rahul as they raced to an imposing 336 in 50 overs.

Sanjay Manjrekar stated that none should be surprised with the way Rishabh Pant has batted since he has displayed consistency these days, unlike flashes of brilliance earlier. The 53-year old highlighted that no matter the format, the keeper-batsman is trying to be consistent alongside improving his glovework as a significant mind shift has occurred.

“Doesn’t surprise anyone with the way he batted today and success has come about for Rishabh Pant. Earlier, we saw flashes of brilliance with Rishabh Pant, especially at the international level, but these days we have seen consistency. No matter what the format – whether it’s T20s or Test matches, he’s become a consistent Test batsman as well, his keeping is steadily improving, a major mind shift has happened,” Manjrekar told ESPN Cricinfo.

Rishabh Pant is just looking to muscle the ball wherever he wants to: Sanjay Manjrekar

The cricketer-turned-commentator opines that Rishabh Pant has always had such abilities and has not improved in the last few months. Sanjay Manjrekar underlined that Pant’s confidence has massively improved and he is entirely committed to clearing the ropes and hitting the ball as hard as he could. The 53-year old concluded that the southpaw has an incredible knack of picking the bowlers and not be shackled by the shots at this level.

“Rishabh Pant has always had this kind of ability, not something he has improved suddenly in the last six-eight months, just that the mind is now working differently, maybe it’s a huge dose of confidence to get rid of that uncertainty now and there’s more clarity. When he hits, I don’t think anyone is as committed to putting the ball over the ropes as he is. He is just looking to muscle the ball wherever he wants to and he has this great knack of picking of the bowlers and not shackled by these kinds of shots at this level,” he added.

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