"His record in T20Is is very ordinary but we saw today what this guy can do" - Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Rishabh Pant's knock in IND-BAN T20 WC warm-up
Sanjay Manjrekar has lauded Rishabh Pant for playing an excellent knock in tough conditions in India's 2024 T20 World Cup warm-up game against Bangladesh in New York on Saturday, June 1. He noted that the wicketkeeper-batter proved his indifferent overall record in T20Is does not reflect his potential.
Pant scored 53 runs off 32 deliveries as India set Bangladesh a 183-run target after Rohit Sharma opted to bat first. The Men in Blue then restricted the Bangla Tigers to 122/9 to register a comprehensive 60-run win.
Reviewing the game on Star Sports, Manjrekar praised Pant for assessing the conditions quickly and showcasing his true prowess in the shortest format.
"The pitch was slightly difficult when he came to bat. We saw Sanju Samson getting out after scoring only one run off six balls. After that, he (Pant) came and his specialty is that he is extremely street-smart and assesses very quickly what needs to be done," he said.
"He is a batter who scored runs at a strike rate of almost 200 on a difficult pitch. This is Rishabh Pant's specialty. His record in T20Is is very ordinary, an average close to 20 and a strike rate of 120 or lower, but we saw today what this guy can do," the former India batter added.
Pant has aggregated 987 runs at an average of 22.43 and a strike rate of 126.37 in 66 T20Is. He has scored only three half-centuries in 56 innings, with an unbeaten 65 being his best effort.
"The best thing was that he gave himself time" - Sanjay Bangar on Rishabh Pant
![Rishabh Pant struck four fours and as many sixes during his 53-run knock. [P/C: ICC/X]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/06/c56d0-17173017579046-1920.jpg?w=500)
Sanjay Bangar lauded Rishabh Pant for getting his eye in before playing the big shots.
"Everyone will talk about the four fours and four sixes he hit but he scored only one run off his first six or seven deliveries. So the best thing was that he gave himself time, especially against the spinners. We have the notion that he plays a lot of shots against spinners," he said.
The former India all-rounder noted that the southpaw was comfortable against both pace and spin in Saturday's game.
"Actually, his best shots are against the pacers and he gets out many times against spinners. Today he batted well against both pacers and spinners. So I feel a stability has come into his mind considering the way he batted," Bangar observed.
Pant, who walked out to bat when Sanju Samson was dismissed in the second over, scored a solitary run off his first six deliveries. He then accelerated before retiring out when he reached his half-century with a boundary.