India vs England: “Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant not afraid to get out,” believes Sanjay Manjrekar

India vs England: “Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant not afraid to get out,” believes Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar leapt praises for youngsters Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant. The cricketer-turned-commentator hailed the two upcoming players for their fearless playing style and ability to hit sixes in the shorter formats. He said that they don’t think about the long-term future and consider playing one ball at a time.

“The thing to like about Ishan Kishan is that he is an excellent player of spin. But more importantly, what is exciting me is that these are batsmen who are not afraid to get out. Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan… they are not looking to extend their innings. No long-term plans. It’s just about hitting that next ball for fours and six, and if it is their day, they will get you a big score,” Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.

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“If they don’t play long enough, they will put you in a position like this where the other batsmen will come and wrap things up. That’s where I think Indian T20 batting might start showing a different phase where most of their batsmen won’t be caring about getting out and playing long innings,” he said. 

Ishan comes with flexibility in batting order: Manjrekar

Ishan Kishan plays a shot against RCB
Ishan Kishan had a brilliant run at IPL 2020

Sanjay Manjrekar also commented on Ishan Kishan’s ability to bat as a floater in the Indian side. He opened the innings in the first T20I while went down the order to number three in the subsequent match. Kishan proved himself at different batting slots during his stint at Mumbai Indians in the recently-concluded IPL edition as well.

“He was fortunate to get a ball on his pads first up, to get that first boundary so runs on the board is always good. But you saw the Mumbai Indians approach that Ishan Kishan has all the time batting down the order and not necessarily at the top, and that came into the Indian team today,” said Sanjay Manjrekar. 

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