“He’ll have that position for a while” - Sanjay Manjrekar backs Rishabh Pant to continue at No.4 in ODIs

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons Rishabh Pant will continue to occupy the no.4 spot in ODIs for a while following his performance in Paarl on Friday.

Pant smashed 85 off 71 balls in the second ODI against South Africa, a knock that featured 10 fours and two sixes. He was the dominant partner in a third-wicket stand of 115 with KL Rahul (55).

Reflecting on Pant’s knock, Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo that the left-hander adapted to the challenges of the no.4 spot rather impressively. He said:

“After the performance that you saw in the 2nd one-dayer, he’ll have that position for a while. I was slightly skeptical about his kind of style, whether he is suited for a No.4, because you want a No.4 to have all the gears. But Risabh Pant has a couple of gears - either it is block or he hits the ball out of the ground. But the way he batted, I think he will have that number for a while.”

Despite the wicketkeeper-batter’s blazing innings, India went down by seven wickets in the second one-dayer. Chasing a competitive target of 288, South Africa got home with 11 balls to spare.

“I’d like to see Jayant Yadav come in” - Sanjay Manjrekar

Having lost the one-day series, India have a chance to experiment in the final ODI in Cape Town. Asked what changes he would like to see the Men in Blue make, Manjrekar suggested quite a few. He opined:

“I’d like to see Venky (Venkatesh) Iyer getting a better position in the batting order before he starts feeling the pressure of maintaining his place in the side. So him, maybe, opening the innings. I’d like to see Jayant Yadav come in as the off-spinner, adding a little more to the batting and Suryakumar Yadav maybe at no.5.”

The 56-year-old added:

“Plus, I want to see Deepak Chahar back. And, if Bumrah wants to rest, somebody like a Siraj or Prasidh Krishna could come in.”

The third and final ODI of the three-match series will be played in Cape Town on Sunday.