Rishabh Pant is Virender Sehwag of this generation, claims Sanjay Manjrekar
IPL
Sanjay Manjrekar heaped praise on Delhi Capitals' starlet Rishabh Pant as he compared the hard-hitting youngster to former India opener - Virender Sehwag. Pant has been in sublime form in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League having scored 450 runs from 15 matches for Delhi Capitals.
Rishabh Pant has been one of the stand-out performers for the Delhi Capitals outfit alongside the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer. The left-handed batsman has scored a total of 450 runs from 15 matches in the 2019 season of the Indian Premier League as Delhi are one step away from the final of this IPL.Â
The India wicket-keeper scored a fast-paced 49 off just 21 balls as Delhi Capitals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator to set up a tie with defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the second qualifier. Former India batsman turned commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar, compared Pant to former India opener Virender Sehwag in his recent post on Twitter.
Penny dropped for me last night. Rishabh is this generation’s Viru. Batsman who needs to be treated differently...which is to just let him be. You either pick him or drop him but never try & change him.#RishabhPant
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) May 9, 2019
Pant, who is touted to be MS Dhoni's successor in the national team, was not included in the Indian squad for the upcoming World Cup. Dinesh Karthik made the cut as India’s second-choice keeper behind Dhoni for the latter’s superior "wicket-keeping skills".
"We all (agreed) that either Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik will come in only when (Dhoni) is injured. In an important game, wicketkeeping is also important. That's the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik. That is the only reason why we went ahead with DK otherwise Pant was almost there. Pant is full of talent, he has time on his hands. Unfortunately, he missed out," BCCI chairman of selectors MSK Prasad had said earlier.
Many former cricketers, including former England captain Michael Vaughan, have questioned the notion of excluding Pant from the squad in light of his recent performances in the ongoing IPL season. Pant, who is scoring at a blistering strike rate of 163.63, will hope to lead Delhi to their first IPL final as they take on MS Dhoni & Co. in the second qualifier on Friday.
