Manjrekar Praises Rishabh Pant’s Brave Decision To Walk Out And Bat Despite His Injury
“These are moments you remember 50 years from now; shows how keen he is to turn up for India," says Manjrekar
Speaking on ‘Match Centre Live’ after the conclusion of the first session on Day 2 of the fourth Test, JioHotstar expert Sanjay Manjrekar praised Rishabh Pant’s brave decision to walk out and bat despite his injury:
When we saw Rishabh Pant with Gautam Gambhir having a chat, he was in his whites — we thought maybe he might come out to bat at the end of the innings. Who would’ve thought he’d walk in after the fall of the very next wicket? He is injured, but don’t rule out this guy. If he's told one day that he can't move his feet, he’s got such wonderful hand-eye coordination that he'll still be able to dominate. So England would be worried that Rishabh Pant is back, even though he looked clearly in pain. This is clearly Rishabh Pant’s decision; he decided, 'I'm going to go out there.' And when you do things like this — gestures like Anil Kumble bowling with his jaw strapped, those are moments in history you remember 50 years from now. It shows how keen he is to turn up for India. There’s something about Test cricket, especially when it’s being played in England. Look at the amount of attention you get as a cricketer here. This is where he wants to give his best. If you wonder why he hasn't made the same impact in white-ball cricket, maybe this is why. Because Pant wants to leave a mark on Test cricket more than any other format.”
On India’s young batting unit in overseas conditions:
“This is a story I’m going to take home with me forever. This Indian team is missing two senior batters, and there are no senior players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane and still they’ve batted nearly 750 overs in the series. That’s just incredible. With almost no experience, they’ve shown outstanding temperament and discipline. It speaks volumes about the hunger and maturity in this group.”
JioHotstar expert Jonathan Trott on Pant’s bravery and England’s growing frustration:
“This shows the bravery of Rishabh Pant. His presence will only extend India’s innings and frustrate England even more. But I do worry about his movement — he’s already got a sore finger and now an extremely sore foot. You just hope he doesn’t pick up another injury while recovering. Still, I’m really interested to see what happens if he gets going. If he starts batting with the tailenders, it’ll be fascinating to see how he goes about hitting the ball. But for now, this shows his intent and how much he wants to be out there for India.”
Catch Day 3 of the fourth Test of India’s tour of England, live tomorrow from 3:30 PM, on JioHotstar
