Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has backed Delhi Capitals’ decision to continue with Rishabh Pant as their captain for the second phase of the IPL 2021.
Shreyas Iyer had suffered a shoulder injury before the start of the tournament and thus Pant was bestowed with captaincy duties.
However, the Capitals decided to retain Pant as the leader of the team for the second leg despite Iyer recuperating from the injury. Iyer had led the team to the final of the previous season but the team’s think tank wanted to give him time to fully recover and concentrate on his batting.
On the other hand, Pant had done an incredible job in the first phase of IPL 2021 as Delhi Capitals won six out of the eight matches and were on the top of the points table before the second phase commenced.
Thus, Delhi looks all set to qualify for the playoff stages.
Manjrekar added that Pant has good leadership qualities and he liked the decision of Delhi Capitals to continue with the wicket-keeper batsman.
Speaking in a video presented by Dafa News, Sanjay Manjrekar said: “When I look at Delhi, I look at their captain and I think their management made an excellent choice to have Rishabh Pant continue as captain because he is more of an automatic choice in the team.
“It will also get Shreyas Iyer slightly under pressure to prove himself as a batter and I think Rishabh Pant has the inborn leadership quality and is a street smart cricketer so I am glad that they have continued with Rishabh Pant as captain.”
On the other hand, it is well-known that Delhi has a lot of match-winners in their squad and they will look to be consistent in the second phase of the IPL. Manjrekar feels Delhi can be a bit unpredictable and inconsistent at times, which can lead to their downfall.
“Delhi is filled with dynamic and attacking players but also high risk, hence unpredictable at times and inconsistent and that is one issue they will have to address throughout the season. Barring Dhawan, who is more dependable than a Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Hetmyer and Stoinis, so that is a slight issue,” Sanjay Manjrekar added.
Delhi will resume its IPL 2021 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
