‘I thought he’s really competing with Shreyas Iyer for a batting position in the middle order’: Ex-Cricketer gives a bold statement
In a 1-1 tie, India defeated South Africa on Thursday in Cape Town to conclude their two-match Test series. After the series, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his opinion that Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer might pose a serious threat to KL Rahul, who had a respectable performance.
Rahul led the Indian innings in the second half of the game as he was playing well. After the second Test, Manjrekar praised Rahul and expressed his belief that the wicketkeeper-batter was battling for every opportunity in all forms of cricket.
However, the former cricketer for India believes that Rishabh Pant, who is expected to return in the IPL 2024, Rahul and Shreyas Iyer might contend for the No. 5 position.
Appearing on Star Sports, he said, “I think he’s a guy who cares about every format. You know how he’s built to value every opportunity that he gets after he got that 100. You know, I am looking two years from now and I thought he’s really competing with Shreyas Iyer for a batting position in the middle order because the moment Rishabh Pant is fit, he becomes your keeper batter, and there’s great quality to Rishabh Pant batting and keeping as well.”
“That innings was just incredible (First Test hundred). Unfortunately, you know, Dean Elgar got a 180, they got 400 because we at the time thought that 260 was gonna be enough. And that was the moment if India could have latched onto, there would have been a series win in South Africa,” he added.
With the victory, India was able to take the top spot in the World Test Championship 2023–25 points standings. Additionally, India’s victory overcame that of South Africa, the current runner-up, in the WTC cycle. India was ranked sixth after losing the first Test match, but they were first placed first after winning on Thursday.
Australia comes in at number four, New Zealand at number three, and the Proteas at number two.
While The West Indies are ranked seventh, England is ranked eighth, Bangladesh is ranked fifth, and Sri Lanka is ranked ninth. Pakistan is ranked sixth.
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