India may have lost the first Test of the ongoing five-match series against England, but the performance of their top-order batters was a major positive to take forward. At Headingley, while the lower order collapsed in both innings, the likes of Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal scored centuries, and Rishabh Pant smashed brilliant hundreds in each innings to keep India in the fight. Looking ahead to the crucial second Test at Edgbaston, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar is confident that Pant will continue his sublime form. Speaking on Star Sports’ ‘Game Plan’ show, Manjrekar praised Pant’s hunger and determination to make big scores in the longest format. “I think he (Rishabh Pant) will carry on because it seems like he enjoys batting in Test cricket. Any batter who gets two hundreds in a single Test, it takes a lot out of you mentally. To do it again within 48 hours shows the hallmark of an exceptional player,” Manjrekar said.
Highlighting another senior batter, Manjrekar pointed out that KL Rahul must keep his good form going for the remainder of the series. “Rishabh Pant enjoys playing Tests. He has not scored enough runs in recent times, so he is hungry. I see him continuing this form, but there is another senior batter who now has no choice but to carry his form through the series. Indian cricket needs him badly and KL Rahul cannot be a one-hundred wonder or a one-Test-match performer,” he added.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player? India will have to bounce back strongly in the second Test, which starts on July 2 in Birmingham. The challenge could get tougher with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah likely to miss the match for workload management. England, on the other hand, have bolstered their squad with Jofra Archer, adding more firepower to their pace attack. With the series on the line, India’s top order will once again have to lead the fightback in challenging English conditions.
