"Unless he contributes, DC will continue to struggle" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Rishabh Pant's poor form in IPL 2022

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that the Delhi Capitals (DC) will continue to struggle in the batting department unless captain Rishabh Pant lifts his game and shows a greater degree of consistency in IPL 2022.

The 24-year-old has had a disappointing campaign with the willow so far. In 11 matches, he has scored 281 runs at an average of 31.22 and a strike rate of 152.72. He doesn’t have a single half-century to his name, having registered a highest score of 44.

With uncertainty over Prithvi Shaw’s availability for Delhi’s clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday, there will be additional pressure on Pant to perform. Previewing the match on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar said about Delhi’s batting woes:

“When Prithvi Shaw was there, Delhi had another dangerous batter. If David Warner is scoring at 140, Shaw was striking at 150. Rishabh Pant will have to score runs. He will have to show some consistency, otherwise Delhi’s batting looks really weak. Unless he contributes, DC will continue to struggle in the batting department.”

The former cricketer opined that Aussie all-rounder Mitchell Marsh hasn’t found his groove in the IPL yet. He stated:

“Mitchell Marsh doesn’t look confident yet in the IPL. Some overseas players need some time to settle down and feel comfortable. I feel Delhi will still back him to come good.”

DC have had an inconsistent run in IPL 2022. However, according to Manjrekar, they are still good enough to make the playoffs. He stated:

“Delhi have big players and have quality in both pace and spin. A couple of players are not in form yet. If Prithvi Shaw comes back, it will help. I think they will push and prod their way into the top four.”

In their previous match, Delhi were thumped by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 91 runs. Chasing a target of 209, they folded up for 117. With Shaw hospitalized, Srikar Bharat opened the innings with Warner.

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“He is always a gamble for the team” - Sanjay Manjrekar on DC spinner Kuldeep Yadav’s economy

While left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been one of Delhi’s most impactful bowlers in IPL 2022, he has also been expensive in a few games. In the last two matches, he has conceded 40 and 43 runs respectively.

Speaking about the bowler, Manjrekar opined that Kuldeep will need to work on his natural ability because he is too slow in the air. He elaborated:

“On his day, he gets 3-4 wickets with good deliveries but on other days the same type of deliveries go for boundaries. He is a bit too slow in the air and hence he is always a gamble for the team. (Yuzvendra) Chahal also claims wickets but his graph in economy is not so inconsistent. If Kuldeep works on his fitness and flight and overcomes his natural weakness, he will be more effective with regards to economy.”

The 27-year-old has claimed 18 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 19.55 and an economy rate of 8.87.