For both fans and players alike, the excitement over the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is at its zenith.
And why not it should be? After months of uncertainty hovering over the T20 extravaganza, just like any other aspects of life in the time of coronavirus, it is now certain that good days are going to come back, for fans, players and people who owe their living to cricket.
The expectation from stalwarts like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni amongst others, is on cloud nine, as it always has been over the years.
However, there are young guns like Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, for whom the performance in the tournament will be crucial in determining their future in the international arena, feels Sanjay Manjrekar.
With India hosting the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, there will be intense competition between Pant and Samson for securing the wicketkeeper spot.
“People like Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, for me as an analyst watching the players and trying to make an assessment, sometimes predictions go right or wrong, they are both slightly enigmatic for me,” Manjrekar said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.
“Rishabh Pant, definitely there is something there. There is an X-factor and he will suddenly win you games in 10 minutes, that you thought you were losing. Sanju Samson as well, the kind of batting that he has got when he is on song, he just takes your breath away,” he added.
Pant has been struggling to cement his place in the Indian set-up while Samson failed to capitalize on whatever little opportunities he got for Team India.
Manjrekar reckons that both these youngsters have a lot of untapped potential but they still need to work on their consistency.
“But finally, consistency and generally winning performances is important, there is so much cricket happening and people clamouring for a batting position. Talent is there, class is there, potential is there but finally I am going to look at Sanju Samson’s performances and Rishabh Pant’s numbers as well to make a judgement on them,” the cricketer-turned commentator asserted.
“So, it is another big IPL and all everyone wants from them is consistency. It can’t be one good innings and then 3-4 failures where it seems that you have just thrown it away,” Manjrekar concluded.
