Former India batter and ace commentator Sanjay Manjrekar emphasised the importance of in-form batsmen such as Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, who performed well in the first Test against England and continued their success throughout the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
India lost the first Test in Headingley, Leeds, by five wickets, but Pant and Rahul stood out with outstanding batting performances in both innings. While Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper and the second overall to score 100 in both innings of a Test match, Rahul contributed 42 and 137 respectively.
Pant, said to Manjrekar, enjoys playing in the red ball format and is now enjoying his batting. The former praised the 27-year-old for the mental fortitude he demonstrated in the first Test and stated that he is eager for runs.
“I believe he (Rishabh Pant) will (take his form into the second game) since he appears to enjoy batting in Test cricket. Any hitter who scores two hundreds in a Test match expends a lot of mental energy, not so much physical energy, to score a hundred in the first innings and then have the same amount of energy 48 hours later to score another hundred. So that is a sign of an excellent player,” the former Indian batter stated on Star Sport’s ‘Game Plan’ show.
Apart from Pant, Manjrekar stated that KL Rahul will play an important role in India’s remaining four Test matches in England.
“Rishabh Pant enjoys participating in Test matches. He does not have enough runs. He’s starving. I envisage Pant continuing his momentum, but there is another senior batter on the team who now has no choice but to carry his form throughout the series. Indian cricket really needs him, and KL Rahul cannot be a one-hit wonder or a one-Test-match hero,” he added.
The second Test will take place in Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium. The highly anticipated event is scheduled to take place from July 2 to July 6.
India
