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Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar named Rishabh Pant as the "wildcard" player ahead of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah for the Rohit Sharma-led side in their T20 World Cup final against South Africa.
It has been a journey of inspiration for many as Pant made his way back to cricket after a life-threatening accident in December 2022. The dynamic left-handed batter returned to the cricket field to lead Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. His impressive show helped him earn a call-up to India's 15-player squad for the marquee event. His reverse scoop to send the ball over the wicketkeeper's head to clear the rope against Ireland to finish the game in India's campaign opener showed his class. Ahead of the final, Manjrekar named Pant as the player to watch out for against South Africa in Kensington Oval Barbados on Saturday. "I think it will be, I think we will get a great idea about who the big match player is. I'm going to go with a wildcard and say Rishabh Pant will be the player to watch out for," Manjrekar, who features as an expert on the 'Caught and Bold' show on Disney+ Hotstar, told ANI. With Virat Kohli moving to the opening slot alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, Pant earned a promotion to the number three spot. Pant has thrived in his new role, racking up 171 runs in seven matches, at an average of 28.50 and a strike rate of 129.54. Pant would be keen to change the fortune of the Indian team as in just about a year, the duo of head coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit will play their third final of an ICC tournament. India are still on the hunt to end their World Cup trophy drought. Australia inflicted heartbreak in the ODI World Cup and World Test Championship on millions of Indian fans. But this time, as they look to find the perfect ending, Australia won't be there to spoil the party. Inspired by Rohit's 92-run blitzkrieg and influential spells from the bowlers, India sent Australia on the verge of elimination. Before their slump against India, Afghanistan left the Baggy Greens speechless with their maiden win over one of the cricket giants. The 58-year-old feels that Australia and India were the best sides throughout the tournament, but Mitchell Marsh's side paid the price of their loss against Afghanistan. "Losing to Afghanistan When you have a bad day in a very tough format, you pay the price for it. It was as good a side as India. The two best sides in the tournament were India and Australia," Manjrekar added. Afghanistan eventually crashed out of the tournament after they got completely outplayed by South Africa in the semi-final. The Proteas will face India in the final at the Kensington Oval. If rain doesn't allow the game to take place, then a reserve day is in store as well. (ANI)
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