New Delhi [India], December 31: Amidst Rishabh Pant’s challenging run of form in Australia, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed that the young wicketkeeper-batter should be “criticized for his failures, rather than the way he fails.” Pant, who has had a commendable record against Australia in the past, has struggled to convert promising starts into big scores during the ongoing series.
Pant, who has been under intense scrutiny for poor shot-making, has scored just 154 runs in four matches at an average of 22.00, with no half-centuries in seven innings. His highest score has been 37. The cricketing fraternity, including legends like Sunil Gavaskar, has voiced disappointment in Pant’s inconsistency.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Manjrekar wrote, “Pant should be criticised only for his failures, rather than how he fails. He averages 42 in Tests with at least 3 great innings ever played by an Indian! In 42 tests, he has 6 hundreds & 7 nineties. He is a great player not scoring enough runs & that’s the crux of it. #INDvsAUS.”
In 11 matches in Australia, Pant has accumulated 778 runs at an average of 45.76 and a strike rate of 66.72, with one century and two half-centuries in 19 innings. His best score is an unbeaten 159.
In his debut Australian tour in 2018-19, Pant was India’s top run-scorer, amassing 350 runs in seven innings at an average of 58.33, including a century. In the 2020-21 series, he scored 274 runs at an average of 68.50, with two half-centuries, including his memorable knocks of 97 in Sydney and 89* in Brisbane that helped India win the series.
Since returning to cricket after a life-threatening accident in 2022, Pant has scored 576 runs in nine Tests this year at an average of 36.00, including a century and three half-centuries.
The final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) from January 3, where Pant will look to regain form and contribute to India’s efforts in the series.