IPL 2021: "Trailblazer of this generation" - Sanjay Manjrekar compares Rishabh Pant to Virender Sehwag

Rishabh Pant smashed 35 off just 21 deliveries as the Delhi Capitals cruised to an eight-wicket win against SunRisers Hyderabad on Wednesday. Coming into bat after Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer had set the platform with a 52-run partnership, Pant was quick to get to work and helped DC chase down their target of 135 runs with more than two overs to go.

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar compared Pant to another swashbuckling batsman from Delhi and called the DC captain the "trailblazer of this generation."

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Manjrekar likened Pant to the iconic Virender Sehwag, due to the former opening batsman's attacking style of play.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar said about Pant -

"When Virender Sehwag came along, we had the Dravids and the Tendulkars scoring truckloads of runs and then Virender Sehwag comes in and he was slightly different. He was a trailblazer. He got to his hundred with a six, got to his 200 with a six, got to his 300 with a six. "

"That kind of batting, we had not seen before in Test match cricket. I think Rishabh Pant, already with a lot of Sehwag-kind of players around him hitting fours and sixes at will, he is a guy who is a trailblazer for this generation."

Rishabh Pant takes calculated risks, doesn't attack out of desperation: Sanjay Manjrekar

Manjrekar said that while some of Pant's shots don't come off, his approach is something that is planned in advance and does not show desperation.

"Sometimes you can think that in England, he failed and the first shot he tried today (Pant came down the track and missed an attempted hoick off Jason Holder in his first delivery), that's all calculated risks that he takes. It's not out of desperation, he's not confused or nervous. It's all pre-planned. We saw in the end the advantage of having someone who can hit the fours and sixes, then you don't get into a hole like Punjab Kings the other night. So, those are the advantages. Rishabh Pant is a great value to have."

Pant hit three boundaries and two maximums in his 21-ball innings and helped complete the chase for his team. The Delhi Capitals are now back on top of the table after their win against SRH.

The Capitals' next match is against the Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.