Rishabh Pant named India's best batter in T20 World Cup but Sanjay Manjrekar credits Rahul Dravid for all the success

Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels that India head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma did a very good job by sending Rishabh Pant at 3 in the T20 World Cup. 

At first, this move was criticized by many people. It was being said that Rishabh Pant would be an absolute flop in the number 3 position. The same lot was backing the other wicket-keeper in the team Sanju Samson to be picked ahead of him if they wanted a suitable batter to replace Virat Kohli at 3.

However, what transpired eventually was something no one was expecting. Rishabh Pant became an instant fit and hit in the 1st down position. Since this new batting order was first implemented during the T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up game against Bangladesh, Pant has been one of the best players of the Indian team.

In the group stages, Rishabh Pant has been team India's best batsman, scoring 96 runs from 3 matches against Ireland, Pakistan, and USA. His best knock of 42 runs came in the high-voltage Indo-Pak clash at the Nassau County Stadium in New York wherein the Indian batting order had suffered a tragic collapse. Pant was the one who stood up for the task and operated as a mature and reliable player. 

Sanjay Manjrekar hails Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma for the new batting order 

While speaking to Star Sports recently, Sanjay Manjrekar had high praise for the captain-coach duo of Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma. Manjrekar is thoroughly impressed with their tweaking of the batting order, leaving Yashasvi Jaiswal in the dugout to make Virat Kohli open the innings with Rohit. 

The other masterstroke for which Sanjay Manjrekar is very thankful to the team management is to push Rishabh Pant up in the order. The left-hand wicket-keeper batsman usually plays at number 4, 5, or below that and he was playing in the same role for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 as well. 

The way Rishabh Pant has adapted and adjusted as a number 3 batter is just exceptional. Sanjay Manjrekar, in fact, didn't expect Pant to bat at 3 but he feels that it was a terrific idea.  

"They (team management) want more and more impact players, at every position down the order and Rishabh Pant, I didn't expect him to be batting at No. 3, and what a brilliant move it has turned out to be, starting from that warm-up game against Bangladesh, when Samson and Rohit Sharma took some time to get used to the surface," Manjrekar told Star Sports. 

Manjrekar applauds Pant for showcasing his class in tough conditions

Sanjay Manjrekar then had special praise for Rishabh Pant for being able to display his class in the tough conditions that were on offer in New York. The drop-in surface proved to be very hard for the batsmen to score runs but despite all odds, Pant managed to find his way and help his side prevail in difficult situations. 

"Pant has showed his class. He has been India's best batter in this tournament so far, and on a difficult pitch, and that is Rishabh Pant's class," Sanjay Manjrekar concluded.