'He was not worried about....': Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Rishabh Pant for 'unselfish' ton vs SA in 3rd Test

Rishabh Pant was the lone shining point for Team India in the third and final Test against South Africa, in Cape Town, before the Virat Kohli-led side went down to the Proteas by seven wickets to lose the series 2-1. Pant slammed his fourth ton in the purest format and became the first Indian wicketkeeper to slam a hundred in South Africa, England and Australia.

During the second innings, India were in trouble reeling at 58-4, with a first-innings lead of 13 runs, before Pant played a sensible knock to reach three figures despite India being dismissed for 198, setting up a 212-run target for the Dean Elgar-led Proteas. Elgar & Co. chased down the target by seven wickets on Day 4 of the third and final Test to win the series 2-1.

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During a discussion on ESPN Cricinfo, former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar hailed Pant for playing an 'unselfish' knock in the low-scoring third Test. “How unselfish was that innings. He was only focused on prolonging that innings, not worried about getting that hundred. He has got out in the 90s a couple of times. This is a guy who plays for his team and that was amply evident,” Manjrekar said. 

"Lot of big-name batters would have quickly got a hundred and then decided ‘let me see what I can do’. He was constantly thinking of just one goal - to extend the innings,” the former Indian cricketer and full-time pundit lauded the 24-year-old swashbuckling left-hander.

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Pant will now shift his focus to the forthcoming three-match ODI series between India and Temba Bavuma-led South Africa, in the rainbow nation. The series will commence on January 19 at Paarl. For the unversed, Pant hasn't scored a hundred in the limited-overs format and, hence, he will be eager to make the most of the three ODIs versus the African nation.