'He is the trailblazer of this generation' - Sanjay Manjrekar feels Rishabh Pant is the modern-day Virender Sehwag

Rishabh Pant produced a rollicking performance for the Delhi Capitals (DC) side in their opening match of the UAE leg of the IPL against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) outfit. The Delhi skipper plundered a whirlwind 35* at a strike rate in excess of 160, took the opposition bowling attack to the cleaners, and helped his side beat the opposition with 8 wickets to spare.

And now, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has compared Rishabh Pant to the legendary Virender Sehwag. Manjrekar explained that when Sehwag burst onto the scene, the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were scoring a lot of runs, but the ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ was a trailblazer.

Manjrekar further added that Pant is the trailblazer of the modern generation, and is a batsman who can hit fours and sixes at will like Sehwag.

“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,” said Sanjay Manjrekar in a chat with Cricinfo.

Rishabh Pant’s attacking style is pre-planned: Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar also stated that Rishabh Pant does not attack out of desperation, and his aggressive batting style is already pre-planned. The 56-year-old concluded by adding that having a batsman like Pant who can effortlessly hit boundaries is a great advantage for the Delhi Capitals (DC) side.

“Sometimes you can think that in England, he failed and the first shot he tried today 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,” concluded Sanjay Manjrekar.