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Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Rishabh Pant will continue being benched in the ODI setup as long as KL Rahul continues to score runs.
Rishabh Pant last played ODI cricket on August 2024. (Image: AFP)
The former Indian cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that it is a sorry situation for Rishabh Pant who is struggling to make a case for his selection in the Indian team in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With India set to take on Pakistan in their second group-stage game, Manjrekar feels that despite Pant being a rare talent he will continue to stay out as long as Rahul continues to score runs.
Reflecting on India’s performance against Bangladesh, Manjrekar does not expect the Men in Blue to make changes to their playing 11 considering their dominant show.
With the ball, Mohammed Shami and his ability to turn up in ICC tournaments was on display as the pacer finished with a five-wicket haul. Harshit Rana was also among the wickets while the spinners did their job as the bowling unit restricted Bangladesh to a below-par score.
Batting-wise, Rohit looked in good touch and continued his attacking charge in the early stages of the innings while Shubman Gill anchored the game with a century while KL Rahul finished the game off in style.
“India were pretty good (against Bangladesh), most boxes got ticked. I don’t see drastic changes if the pitch doesn’t demand. Kuldeep (Yadav) needs a little more game time. Rahul got some runs, so I don’t think any new wicketkeeper-batter is going to replace him,” Manjrekar said in a in a virtual interaction with JioHotstar.
“Till Rahul is contributing, Pant will stay out but Pant is a rare talent for India. It’s a sorry situation for him,” he added.
Rishabh Pant has not been able to establish himself in the ODI setup for some time now. Even in the prior three-match series against England, he was the only one to not get game time while the others had a game or two to showcase their best.
Many have questioned whether this is indeed the right move considering that Pant offers an additional left-handed batting option. With his power-hitting and unorthodox batting style, many suggest that he could do a better job if he were to come lower down the order as a finisher.
But the Indian team management has instead opted to promote Axar Patel up the order, particularly on slower tracks to keep the left-right combination going which means Pant’s chances of a start remain as slim as ever.
