'His record in T20Is is very ordinary': Manjrekar takes a dig at Rishabh Pant despite heroics vs BAN

In a warm-up match for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, India posted a commanding total of 182/5 in 20 overs, with notable contributions from Rishabh Pant (53 off 32 balls) and Hardik Pandya (40* off 23 balls). In response, Bangladesh struggled to keep up, managing only 122/9 in their 20 overs, resulting in a comfortable 60-run victory for India. Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube stood out for India with 2 wickets each, while Mahmudullah top-scored for Bangladesh with 40 runs. The match, which took place at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

Sanjay Manjrekar raises eyebrows at Rishabh Pant's T20I record but highlights his potential after his great performance against Bangladesh 

Sanjay Manjrekar gave Rishabh Pant credit for his exceptional performance on Saturday, June 1, in New York, during India's 2024 T20 World Cup warm-up game against Bangladesh. Pant's patchy T20I record, Manjrekar pointed out, does not reflect his actual capability.

Pant helped India set a goal of 183 runs after Rohit Sharma decided to bat first by scoring 53 runs off 32 balls. The Men in Blue then bowled Bangladesh out for 122/9 to win by a resounding 60 runs.

Manjrekar praised Pant in his Star Sports analysis for his fast adjustment to the circumstances and his outstanding T20 format performance. Sanjay Manjrekar said: 

“The pitch was slightly difficult when he came to bat. We saw Sanju Samson getting out after scoring only one run off six balls. After that, he (Pant) came and his specialty is that he is extremely street-smart and assesses very quickly what needs to be done,”

"He is a batter who scored runs at a strike rate of almost 200 on a difficult pitch. This is Rishabh Pant's specialty. His record in T20Is is very ordinary, an average close to 20 and a strike rate of 120 or lower, but we saw today what this guy can do,"

Through 66 Twenty20 Internationals, Rishabh Pant has scored 987 runs at an average of 22.43 and a strike rate of 126.37. His best score is an undefeated 65, but in 56 innings he has only managed three half-centuries.