New Delhi, Dec 31 (IANS): Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has come to the defense of Rishabh Pant, urging critics to focus on the wicketkeeper-batter’s results rather than his style of dismissals.
The comments come in the wake of Pant’s controversial shot selection during the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne, which played a significant role in India’s collapse and eventual 184-run defeat.
During the second innings of the Melbourne Test, with India fighting to save the match, Pant fell while attempting a risky six off Travis Head. The ill-timed shot resulted in his dismissal and triggered a collapse in the Indian batting lineup, leading to their inability to survive the final 91 overs of Day 5.
India’s loss put them 1-2 behind in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, damaging India’s hopes of reaching the WTC final, drawing widespread criticism of Pant’s shot selection.
However, Manjrekar offered a nuanced perspective, claiming Pant should be criticised for his failure to make big scores rather than the manner of his dismissal. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Manjrekar highlighted Pant’s impressive Test credentials while cautioning against over-analyzing the manner of his dismissals.
“Pant should be criticised 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 and 7 nineties. He is a great player not scoring enough runs & that’s the crux of it,” Manjrekar posted.
Manjrekar’s remarks underscored Pant’s record as a match-winner who has delivered under pressure multiple times in his young career, including landmark performances in Australia.
Pant’s contributions in the ongoing series have been underwhelming, with the southpaw scoring just 154 runs in four matches (seven innings) at an average of 22. His highest score of 37 in the series stands in stark contrast to his career-best performances.
Pant came into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in fine form, having been the leading run-scorer in India’s previous series against New Zealand with 261 runs in three matches. His stunning century against Bangladesh in Chennai earlier this year, marking his Test comeback after 21 months, further raised expectations.
Australia’s bowlers, led by the likes of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, have managed to neutralise Pant’s aggressive batting with well-laid plans. Unlike the 2020-21 series, where his unbeaten 89 at Brisbane helped India secure a historic win, Pant has struggled to make an impact this time.