logo
"He Is A Batter Who England Fear": Sanjay Manjrekar's Massive Praise For India Star

"He Is A Batter Who England Fear": Sanjay Manjrekar's Massive Praise For India Star

NDTV20-07-2025
Former India player Sanjay Manjrekar has heaped praises on wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. While discussing about the way the southpaw bats, Manjrekar said that Pant should be left free to play the way he wants to as he deserves it. In a massive praise for the left-handed batter, Manjrekar said that the England cricket team fears him. Pant kicked off the ongoing five-match Test series vs England in a great fashion. He smashed centuries across both the innings in the first game in Leeds. The batter also hit a fifty each in the following two Tests in England.
"Rishabh Pant will play in his way no matter what the situation is. He should get that license because he deserves it. The batting unit has to function well. Jaiswal must think a bit about how he got out. He should make use of his form. Pant, I feel, is a big player at No.5. He is a batter who England fear," Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
Pant is expected to play in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford starting from July 23, according to Sky Sports.
In the 34th over, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah on Day 1 of the third Test, Pant made a dive to pick up the ball, but could not get it cleanly in his hands, making England pick two runs off byes.
Following that, he was seen in a lot of pain and had to leave the field for medical attention. Young Dhruv Jurel took the field as he replaced Pant as the wicketkeeper of the team in the second session of the first day of the Test match.
Despite the finger injury Pant batted in both the innings, he made a brilliant 74 (112). During the knock, Pant smoked the ball into the stands for two towering maximums to break Viv Richards' milestone for most sixes against England in the format.
Although he was cleaned up by a beauty from Jofra Archer in the second innings for 9 off 12 balls. He was fit enough to bat but was unable to keep wickets.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'England would've walked off....': Former England batter slammed Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for..., his name is...
'England would've walked off....': Former England batter slammed Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for..., his name is...

India.com

time17 minutes ago

  • India.com

'England would've walked off....': Former England batter slammed Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for..., his name is...

'England would've walked off....': Former England batter slammed Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for..., his name is... New Delhi: England captain Ben Stokes has received support from his compatriot Jonathan Trott amid criticism of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for not shaking hands at the end of the fifth day of the fourth Test match. Trott accused Jadeja of putting 'personal achievements' above the result of the match. When the Manchester Test was heading towards a draw, Stokes offered a handshake to end the game. But Jadeja, who was on 90, and Sundar, who was around 80, turned down the offer as they wanted to achieve their personal achievements. Stokes' anger and Brook's funny bowling Stokes got angry at Jadeja and Sundar's refusal and an argument broke out between the two teams. Stokes then handed the ball to Harry Brook, who bowled in a funny manner. However, after this the Indian batsmen completed their respective milestones in the next 15 minutes. Trott clarified, said 'results' are important in the 'bazzball' era Speaking to Jiostar, Jonathan Trott said that if the situation was reversed and Shubman Gill offered a handshake, Stokes would have accepted it. He said, 'It is clear from Ben Stokes' behavior that if that situation was reversed, he would probably shake hands with the Indian captain and leave the field.' Trott further said, 'In the baseball era, results matter more, not individual achievements.' Sanjay Manjrekar called Stokes a 'spoiled child' However, former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar did not agree with Trott. He called Stokes a 'spoiled child' and said that he made a mockery of the game. Manjrekar said, 'Okay, he was angry that the players did not leave the field, but when your main bowlers are tired, making Brook bowl funny is an insult to the game.' Stokes clarified, cited quick change as the reason Speaking to BBC after the match, Stokes said that he wanted to finish the match quickly so that his bowlers could rest before the next Test. He said, 'We tried everything possible, but a time came when there was only one result left.' Stokes also added, 'I could not risk my frontline bowlers in such a situation, especially when there is very little time for the next Test.'

Washington Sundar now a proper all-rounder. Ravindra Jadeja no longer…: Case for Kuldeep Yadav's Oval entry gains steam
Washington Sundar now a proper all-rounder. Ravindra Jadeja no longer…: Case for Kuldeep Yadav's Oval entry gains steam

Hindustan Times

time26 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Washington Sundar now a proper all-rounder. Ravindra Jadeja no longer…: Case for Kuldeep Yadav's Oval entry gains steam

Kuldeep Yadav's long wait might finally end at The Oval later this week, with former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar suggesting the leg-spinner could make his first appearance of the England tour in the series decider in London. Manjrekar pointed to Ravindra Jadeja's evolving role as a reason for a possible rethink by the team management. Will Kuldeep Yadav finally get a game at The Oval? Speaking to JioStar after India drew the fourth Test on Sunday, Manjrekar noted that Washington Sundar's performance at Manchester has positioned him as the preferred spin-bowling all-rounder in the XI. While Sundar has delivered with both bat and ball, Jadeja has increasingly looked like a batting all-rounder due to his limited bowling impact on this tour. With that shift in balance, Manjrekar believes head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill could consider bringing Kuldeep into the playing XI for the final Test, starting Thursday at The Oval. 'Now, you've got to look at Sundar as a proper all-rounder. You can increasingly see Jadeja becoming a batting all-rounder because his bowling hasn't quite contributed as much. Washi's got wickets as well. So here's an off-spinner where you can play as a pure spinner. And now India will not be thinking of an extra batter. Finally, they'll be thinking of maybe Kuldeep for the next Test. And that is what this partnership has done. Even without Pant, they might still stick with these two, you know, to help them with their batting,' he said. In the four matches Jadeja played so far on the tour, he has picked up seven wickets at 67.71, while scoring 454 runs, comprising four fifties and a ton. Sundar, on the other hand, who has one less appearance, picked up as many wickets at 35.85, and scored 205 runs as a lower-order batter, comprising a maiden Test century. The only expected change in India's batting line-up for the Oval Test is Dhruv Jurel replacing the injured Rishabh Pant, who has been ruled out with a fractured toe. In the bowling department, Kuldeep's inclusion would likely require India to drop a fast bowler. While head coach Gautam Gambhir may be reluctant to alter the combination with the series on the line, Kuldeep's entry could hinge on the fitness of the pace unit. Jasprit Bumrah may miss the decider due to an injury sustained in Manchester. If so, Akash Deep is the frontrunner to replace him—provided he has recovered from the groin niggle picked up at Lord's. That leaves Prasidh Krishna as the only other pace option currently available.

Washington Sundar, Ben Stokes and a handshake at Old Trafford: Why Test cricket is still beautiful
Washington Sundar, Ben Stokes and a handshake at Old Trafford: Why Test cricket is still beautiful

Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • Indian Express

Washington Sundar, Ben Stokes and a handshake at Old Trafford: Why Test cricket is still beautiful

Washington Sundar is no stranger to extraordinary things. In his first Test with India six down, almost 200 behind Australia, he combined with virtual newbie Shardul Thakur to lay the first step for the now-famous Brisbane heist. But a century is a century, and Washington Sundar's first was even more special because the hero of Brisbane was now among India's saviours at Old Trafford. So, when the English captain offered a handshake, an admission that his tired team had given up trying to win, Washington and his partner Ravindra Jadeja, who was also closing in on a century, were right to deny him any moral high ground. More than an hour of the game was left; why not savour the spoils of hard-earned battle? If the issue was that of the spirit of the game, the question could well be asked who hurt that in the first place – the Indian batsman who chose to carry on, for personal goals, or the English skipper who took their refusal to call it a day as an affront and asked part-timer Harry Brook to serve donkey drops. The last half hour was an anti-climax, the only period when the Old Trafford match wasn't engrossing. Till then, everything that the English and Indian cricketers had done showcased a perfect response to the perennial question asked of Test cricket: Why play a game that goes on for five days – 35 hours, sometimes more – and yet produces no result? Test cricket essentially is a sport in which a team of 11 ideally attempts to beat their competitors, failing which, they try to avoid defeat. The entertainment in a fight to the finish is, of course, unmistakable. The first three Test matches of the India-England series were great examples of such contests. But there is also something spectacular about a team fighting with its back to the wall to come up equal at the end. That's why former England captain Alistair Cook put the hammer on the nail when he said in times to come, the Old Trafford Test will be remembered for, not happened during the closing hours, but for Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja's rearguard action. There was, however, much for the lovers of the game's longer version before India's best all-rounder and the man touted to be his successor came together. The team lost the services of Rishabh Pant in the first few hours, a turn of events that only the free-spirited wicketkeeper could have scripted. Batting with nonchalant ease, he decided to reverse sweep Chris Woakes, who can occasionally make the ball talk even in the evening of his career. The shot boomeranged onto Pant's feet, leaving it with a gash the size of a table tennis ball – it turned out to be a fracture. But the Indian wicket keeper, who seems to have made it a habit to push the pain barrier higher, delayed putting his injured limb in a cast. He came back to bat, scored a 50, helped his team add runs and spent precious time at the crease. This was much more than heroics. It may not have been apparent then, but the battle of attrition, which the match turned out to be, actually began with Pant's defiance. These seemingly small moments are also why its devotees savour Test cricket. There was also Washington Sundar, even before he had made his mark with the bat. Two drifters, that would have made the classicists among off-spinners proud, snapped out the centurion Joe Root and England's newest prodigy Harry Brook, and made sure that the poms had to fight extra hard for the lead. Of course, what happened after India were 0 for 2 in the first over of their second innings, 311 runs behind in the first innings, is sure to be part of cricket's lore. Reams have already been written on Shubman Gill's coming of age as a batsman, and consistency, at last, seems to be making friends with K L Rahul. Spare a thought for the English team, though. The ifs and buts are another reason that make test cricket beautiful. What may have happened had Liam Dawson held on to a difficult chance when Gill had not passed 50 or the chance offered by Jadeja, first ball, had struck in Joe Root's hands? Or what may have happened had the pitch, that had begun to play tricks, not gone for a lunchtime nap on the fifth day, from which it would never wake up. And, spare a thought for Ben Stokes. It would be a pity if the English captain's petulance in the last half hour is even a footnote in the annals of the match. He was the only bowler that batsmen could never be sure against, often willing his body to come up with sharply swerving induckers or wickedly climbing bouncers. And, bat with the tail to score a wonderful century and extend England's lead to a point that a draw was the only option for India's batters. Stokes was rightly the Man of the Match. But even one of the greatest ambassador's of the modern day game would admit – perhaps grudgingly – a draw was a victory for the Indian team.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store