India’s former batter Sanjay Manjrekar has put his weight behind Rishabh Pant to continue to bat at number four in the One-Day Internationals.

Pant has been backed by the team management to bat at number four in the ODI series against South Africa.

The left-hander could not make a big contribution in the first ODI as he was dismissed cheaply and could not help the team in the run-chase. However, the southpaw scored a fine knock of 85 runs in the second ODI and helped India post a fighting total of 287 runs.

Pant has shown the promise to go a long way in his career and he is definitely grabbing his opportunity at the top level.

Sanjay Manjrekar said while talking to ESPN Cricinfo, “After the performance that you saw in the 2nd one-dayer, he’ll have that position for a while. I was slightly skeptical about his kind of style, whether he is suited for a No.4, because you want a No.4 to have all the gears. But Risabh Pant has a couple of gears – either it is block or he hits the ball out of the ground. But the way he batted, I think he will have that number for a while.”

Manjrekar added that he would like to see Venkatesh Iyer open the innings and get his chance at the top of the order. The former Indian batsman also wants Suryakumar Yadav to bat at number five and wants to see Jayant Yadav play as an off-spinner in the starting XI.

Furthermore, Manjrekar also wants to see Deepak Chahar get a game for the Indian team.

“I’d like to see Venky (Venkatesh) Iyer getting a better position in the batting order before he starts feeling the pressure of maintaining his place in the side. So him, maybe, opening the innings. I’d like to see Jayant Yadav come in as the off-spinner, adding a little more to the batting and Suryakumar Yadav maybe at no.5.”

The 56-year-old added: “Plus, I want to see Deepak Chahar back. And, if Bumrah wants to rest, somebody like a Siraj or Prasidh Krishna could come in.”

South Africa has taken an impregnable lead of 2-0 in the series and India will aim to avoid the whitewash.