Sanjay Manjrekar: "Pant depends too much on the big shot to get out of a tight corner."

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

 

The Indian team management and the national selectors are getting flak from the fans for too much experimentation with the playing XI in the matches preceding the World Cup.

 

It's an understandable angst, especially when after all that effort to look for various options, India are still unsure of their No. 4.

 

Virat Kohli has hinted that there is just one position open in the World Cup XI, so Kedar Jadhav, I guess, could be No. 5.

 

Here's what I think: with the experimentation, if India wanted a settled team well before the World Cup, they would have had one immediately after the Asia Cup. Ambati Rayudu and Jadhav would have been the certain Nos. 4 and 5, with Jadhav's side-arm offspin an added bonus.

 

But then India would have also been under the illusion that Ravindra Jadeja is a great value-add to the ODI team with his all-round ability, and Vijay Shankar would not have emerged as a tempting batting alternative to Rayudu as a No. 4 batsman who, if needed, could bowl a do-or-die final over in a tight game.

 

Making players feel secure in teams while still looking for attractive options outside it is a fine balance that the team management and selectors must maintain. Excess of either is not good.

 

This team management does have the tendency to go a little overboard with their chopping and changing. Maybe this is Kohli's tendency more than anyone else's. His decisions appear very similar to how he looks on the field - intense, animated, very energetic, almost restless.

 

Dhoni's calm and restful demeanour on the field reflected his team selections. He hardly made any changes to his team when he was India captain. In the last IPL, his championship-winning Chennai Super Kings was one of the most settled XIs of the tournament.

 

Meanwhile, Kohli rarely plays the same side in two consecutive games.

 

That India still don't have obvious and exciting Nos. 4 and 5, like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina when they were around, is more the fault of players who have been given these chances than those who gave it to them.

 

Not one of the seven to eight players tried in those positions has shown exceptional ability and, importantly, consistency in their performances in the most batting-friendly format. For a batting country like India, this is as surprising as it's disappointing.

 

Manish Pandey showed promise few years back, but after scoring that wonderful hundred in Australia at No. 4 three years ago, he has averaged just 26, wasting some terrific opportunities against New Zealand at home immediately after getting that hundred.

 

It's said about him and a few others like him that they were never given a decent run nor did they have a settled position in the batting order. Well, the fact of life and cricket teams is that until you have established yourself, you won't get a settled position. That's for people like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Kohli or Dhoni, who, once they got a big score in the early stages of their careers, kept at it to reaffirm their potential.

 

Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Rayudu and Co never did this enough for the selectors to keep faith in them. Jadhav is a little better off here and his offspinners help him out.

The problem with all the contenders we have seen for Nos. 4 and 5 has been their consistency and ability.

 

The World Cup is in England, and even if it's the white ball, it is not going to come in straight lines. This is where all these candidates worry me.

 

After a good score, the way Rayudu gets bowled off a ball that has moved off the seam ruins all the good work he had done until then. That's why I remain unconvinced by him.

 

Same with Jadhav. If India are 20 for 3, it's hard to see him handling a spell of good seam bowling in England with composure, showing a good defence, ticking off singles whenever he can, building a partnership and then, in the last few overs, going for the big shots.

 

Whether its Pandey, Rayudu, Karthik, Jadhav, Rishabh Pant or Vijay, they all depend too much on the big shot to get out of a tight corner.

 

This approach is unnecessarily high risk when you want five runs an over, unless you are a prodigiously gifted attacking batsman. From what I have seen, Pant tends to miss half the time when trying to hit big.

 

The current issue with India's likely World Cup team is that only the captain can bat as per the needs of the situation. Rohit tries but isn't as successful; Shikhar plays more for survival than trying to lead the team to a win with the bat; and Dhoni has an approach that keeps us all on the edge of our seats.

 

Kohli is like a warranty card for India. When you watch him in 50-over cricket, can you slot him into a category of a defensive or an attacking batsman? No. He is just a champion batsman who wins games for his teams. When the team needs five runs an over, he will try to get five an over and not ten, like others around him seem to try.

 

I am hearing some state-level coaches murmur that whatever the format, young batsmen these days want to project themselves as T20 batsmen lest they get slotted as non-T20 players.

 

This is interesting and perhaps one of the reasons why India don't have a dependable No. 4. What's really baffling is that with someone as iconic and inspirational as Kohli around, why don't others want to bat like him?

 

My choice for Nos. 4 and 5 are Vijay and Jadhav respectively, but I must confess I pick them a bit grudgingly.

 

And here's something I believe: whatever team the selectors pick, India will go to this World Cup with a soft underbelly, which will be their middle order.

[sandeep]

Just because its SanjuManju, doesn't mean he's automatically wrong about everything he says.  As they say, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[SK_IH]

bang on Sanju. And even when he hits he tends to find fielders most of the time. 

[The Dark Horse]

More than the players, as stated by Manju the problem is with the team management. Giving full confidence to a 38 year old and chopping and changing the rest of the lineup hampers the balance of the team. The result is Dhoni has been guaranteed a spot, but there is uncertainty all around.

[Suhaan]

That's actually good for Pant,

Manju has been the lucky charm for rookies,in some other sense though

[Ankit_sharma03]

He is right but thats with most young attacking players as this skill only has gotten them to this point so they fall back on it only. These things gets better with experience which Kohli n management has failed to provide them . More then pant its team managements failure 

[Ankit_sharma03]

1 hour ago, TNAmarkFromIndia said:

My choice for Nos. 4 and 5 are Vijay and Jadhav respectively, but I must confess I pick them a bit grudgingly.

 

Times when manju makes more sense then most ex-cricketers

[afan]

Pant actually needs a lot of support at this stage. 

We must not curb his aggression or his enthusiasm, cause he will change over a course of time.. This is the most exciting part of his career, and he must get all support that he needs

Looks like blind supporters of Dhoni after finishing off Karthik is now going after Pant...nobody is bigger than the game

[Stan AF]

After the WC pant can open the innings in powerplay. That will be suited to his style.

[Nonbeliever]

Popularity on icf does not translate in greatness automatically.  For icf  Every second newcomer  is better than sachin,dhoni,kohli,kapil.

[WeStMiDz]

Only a few games ago Manjrekar was saying that Rayadu has done enough for the number 4 spot and should be left alone. Now he remains unconvinced. 

 

His fickleness makes him a good potential ICF poster. 

[Lannister]

Thought about reading it but then reminded myself it is Sanju's article. Whatever it is, it's not going to be worth our time. 

[RAZPOR]

well he is not exactly wrong tbh

[zen]

At the moment, Pant’s game is more suited to open or down the order ..... He is not someone who relies on 1s and 2s but big shots, and his game is yet to evolve .... Should have tried him as an opener, and who knows 1 good inning by him and Ind could have won 3-2 

[zen]

As for Rayudu, Jadhav and Shankar, they are fringe players relatively speaking. If Ind wanted to try a good player at #4, could have drafted in Agarwal, who showed good form in Aus and has the game for ODIs .... If we were to do all this again: 

 

Shaw

Dhawan / KL if in form ....  or Pant 

Kohli

Agarwal

Hardik

Pant / Shankar (if Pant is opening) 

Jadhav 

4 bowlers 

 

Edited March 18, 2019 by zen

[Rasgulla]

in other words he is calling him a hack. Beetle PR won't be happy with manju. 

[Ankit_sharma03]

At 20.00 - ganguly talks about pant issue that he hasnt been given regular run and we shud keep faith in him

 

The way he speaks about a young players shows how good was he handling players

 

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

25 minutes ago, Ankit_sharma03 said:

At 20.00 - ganguly talks about pant issue that he hasnt been given regular run and we shud keep faith in him

So you think he's going to say India should have dropped a player of the IPL team he's a mentor for, that too in the IPL team's own press meet? 

[Ankit_sharma03]

5 minutes ago, TNAmarkFromIndia said:

So you think he's going to say India should have dropped a player of the IPL team he's a mentor for, that too in the IPL team's own press meet? 

He has been talking about pant like that even when he was not part of DC

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

12 minutes ago, Ankit_sharma03 said:

He has been talking about pant like that even when he was not part of DC

Ganguly just said a couple of weeks ago that he doesn't see Pant in the World Cup squad. Criticised his shot selection many times.