IND vs SA 2022: "Rishabh Pant's lack of runs is the missing piece of India's batting" - Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer believes Rishabh Pant's lack of runs of late has become the "missing piece" of India's middle-order batting. The former opener argued that until Pant improves his off-side game and learns to counter fast-bowlers' wide lines, India might continue to see batting collapse in the middle overs like on Tuesday.

India were 128/2 after 13 overs against the visitors South Africa, looking set to post a total above 200 in a must-win match. The next four overs saw two wickets fall for just 20 runs alongside two dropped catches of Pant and Hardik Pandya. Pant couldn't make the most of the chance and got out for six off eight balls, wildly mistiming a hoick off a straight slower-one to mid-off. India ended up with a 179-5 in 20 overs.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Jaffer didn't agree with the notion that India lacks firepower in the middle-order and said Pant's improvement could be decisive. He said:

"No, it's not like that. I think Rishabh Pant's lack of runs is the missing piece of India's batting. If Rishabh Pant plays till the 18-19th overs, perhaps we won't see these. Rishabh Pant knows fast bowlers keep it wide against him and take their pace off so he needs to improve on that. Apart from that Shreyas Iyer batted decently and got out playing a good shot. The two dropped catches were a lucky escape. Had Hardik Pandya got out at that stage, with (David) Miller taking that catch, it would have been an issue for India because Dinesh Karthik was already out and there was no one left."

Jaffer added:

"So I think Rishabh Pant now needs to perform better. He's a very important factor in this team. He needs to understand that bowlers will try to bowl away from his eye-line and further improve his off-side game."

Pant's tally in this series - his first as Indian captain - now reads at just 40 runs with an average of 13.33.

The youngster was in good nick before and during the IPL, though couldn't put up many big scores. He assumes more importance in the team because he's a left-hander who can bat anywhere in the batting lineup - a crucial aspect if one considers India's major losses in the last few years. But only two matches remain in the series and if his poor form continues, selectors might be forced to rethink.

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Bowlers made up for the last two matches: Wasim Jaffer

A better performance from the bowling unit compared to the last two matches helped India defend the total, winning the contest by 48 runs. Praising the improvement, Jaffer said wickets in the middle overs by Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal were the difference between the two teams. Jaffer said:

"It was nice to see two overs of spin there, and both were economical and successful overs... Powerplay went well in the first match too when they (South Africa) were chasing a big total... but in this game, the wickets after the powerplay of Klaasen, van der Dussen and Harshal Patel's dismissal of David Miller were game-changing. van der Dussen and Miller's wickets broke the back of the South African batting lineup. Klaasen came next, Chahal dismissed him brilliantly, giving a slow and tempting delivery. Overall, the bowlers' performance was really good. They couldn't perform to expectations in the last two games but made up for it here nicely."

The fourth T20I will be played on Friday, July 17 at Rajkot's Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

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