“He himself will be disappointed with his numbers” - Ashish Nehra on Rishabh Pant’s poor T20I returns

Former Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra reckons that Rishabh Pant will himself be disappointed with his T20I career so far considering his below-par performances. According to the former left-arm seamer, the southpaw has played quite a number of games for India in the format, without producing the desired results.

Pant, 24, was named captain of the Indian team for the T20I series against South Africa. The series ended 2-2 after the deciding match in Bengaluru was abandoned due to rain on Sunday.

While the hosts managed to square the series after losing the first two matches, Pant had a highest score of 29. He was dismissed while trying to attack balls wide outside the off-stump and was particularly troubled by left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.

Analyzing the stand-in captain’s batting woes against the Proteas, Nehra told Cricbuzz:

“It is not like Rishabh Pant targets only left-arm spinners. If he feels he can take on off-spinners like Moeen Ali or Liam Livingstone, he will do that as well. It is just the way he plays, be it T20s or Tests. But yes, he himself will be disappointed with his T20I numbers. It is not like we are talking about 10 to 15 innings. He has also batted at No.3, 4 and 5.”

The Team India keeper-batter has scored 740 runs in 47 T20I matches at an average of 23.12 and a strike rate of 123.95.

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“I don’t think it’s a question of ego” - Parthiv Patel on Rishabh Pant going after left-arm spinners

Responding to a query asking whether ego was getting the better of Pant against left-arm spinners, Parthiv Patel stated that he did not feel that was the case. The former India keeper-batter explained:

“I don’t think it’s a question of ego. When a left-hander faces a left-arm spinner, he always feels he can hit him. It is a match-up, just like you bring an off-spinner against a left-hander to get him out. But selecting the right ball is very important.”

On what the left-handed batter can do to counter the ploy of bowlers bowling wide outside off stump, Patel responded:

“As a batter plays more cricket, the opposition plans against him - where they can get him out. During the IPL as well, teams targeted him outside the off stump. He could make a tactical adjustment by, maybe, taking an off stump guard to get closer to the ball.”

Before the series against South Africa, Pant struggled in the IPL as well. Leading the Delhi Capitals (DC), he scored 340 runs in 14 matches with a best of 44.

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