Former India National Cricket Team batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has made a bold claim on the star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant after his heroics against the England National Cricket Team.
Sanjay Manjrekar believes that MS Dhoni is not ever close to Rishabh Pant and the latter is by far India’s greatest Indian wicketkeeper-batsman in the history of Test cricket.
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Rishabh Pant achieves big milestones
Pant showcased a batting masterclass in the first Test against the English team at Headingley in Leeds, and he slammed a terrific century.
Rishabh Pant pulled off his trademark somersault celebration after completing the ton and finished his innings with a score of 134 runs off 178 balls, with 12 fours and 6 sixes.
His innings helped him become the Asian wicketkeeper-batsman with the most runs in SENA countries, as he has scored 1815 Test runs in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia.
Pant’s ton in Leeds was his 7th in the longest format of the game, and now he has become the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman with the most Test tons to his name, surpassing MS Dhoni’s tally of 6.
Also, Rishabh Pant has gone past MS Dhoni’s tally of 78 sixes in Test cricket, and with 79 maximums to his name, he has become the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman with the most Test sixes. Overall, only two wicketkeeper-batsmen have hit centuries in both England and Australia – Pant and Jeff Dujon.
In Test cricket, he’s already well ahead of MS – Sanjay Manjrekar
Speaking on JioHotstar, Sanjay Manjrekar said that Pant has scored his Test runs in more challenging conditions as compared to MS Dhoni, and he is well ahead of the legendary World Cup-winning skipper in the red-ball format. He said:
“Again, I am a believer in where you got your hundreds, and I’m a big sort of, I always look at hundreds. OK, where have we got it? He’s got hundreds in England. He’s got 100 in South Africa. He’s got a couple of hundreds in Australia.
“So when you look at the MS’ hundreds, with all due respect to his fans, his centuries would not be so much in these countries where batting is a bit more challenging, as batting on an Indian pitch. In Test cricket, he’s already well ahead of MS,” he added.
By far, India’s greatest ever Test batter-keeper – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar further labelled Rishabh Pant as India’s greatest gloveman in Test history and highlighted how he made the English crowd stand and applaud him. He stated:
“By far, India’s greatest ever Test batter-keeper. I was worried when he was in the 90s that he might end up getting his 8th 90 of his career. It is just unbelievable that he has so many 90s! But he’s a breath of fresh air.”.
“When he got out and raised his bat, there were a lot of English supporters who stood up and applauded that innings. That’s what we love about England — these guys come to watch good cricket. They obviously want their team to win, but when they see excellence from the opposition, you can see true appreciation for it.”
