Sun Sep 22 03:50:49 UTC 2024: ## Pant’s Century Mirrors Dhoni’s Defensive Technique, Says Manjrekar
**Chennai:** Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has lauded wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s century in the first Test against Bangladesh, comparing his defensive technique to that of legendary former skipper MS Dhoni.
Pant, who scored a crucial 109 in the second innings, helped India set a massive 515-run target for Bangladesh. Manjrekar, speaking on ESPNCricinfo, said, “It is a misleading package we see with Rishabh Pant. Underneath that, you will see as many dot balls in his innings as Shubman Gill’s, so he is willing to also play the defensive game.” He added, “He has got a pretty good defensive technique, a bit like Dhoni, whose defensive technique was quite good.”
Manjrekar also pointed out Pant’s selective aggression, noting his patience against off-spinners, and likened him to Virender Sehwag for his ability to play according to his own agenda. “As long as there were off-spinners bowling, he was not taking too many chances. So he is that kind of player who has his own way of getting runs and has his own agenda – a bit like Virender Sehwag,” he said.
India dominated the first Test, winning the toss and opting to bat first. Despite a shaky start, crucial partnerships from Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and a brilliant century by Ravichandran Ashwin, helped India reach 376 runs. Bangladesh, in their first innings, struggled against Bumrah and Akash Deep, ending on a meager 149 runs.
In the second innings, India once again lost their top order quickly, but Gill and Pant’s centuries saw them declare at 287/4, setting the massive target for Bangladesh. Despite a decent start, Bangladesh were unable to keep up with the required run rate and were left trailing by 357 runs at the end of Day 3.
With the first Test heading into Day 4, India is in a strong position to clinch victory.
First Piper 