T20 World Cup 2021: "You don't have a better option than him" - Aakash Chopra says Rishabh Pant must bat till 20th over considering Hardik Pandya's form

Former India opener Aakash Chopra reckons attacking wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant must try and bat till the last over of the innings considering Hardik Pandya’s poor form. Chopra said that while Pandya is a very good batter, it is clear that presently he isn’t in great nick.

India will take on New Zealand in a must-win encounter in the T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai on Sunday. With Pakistan set to top Group 2, India and New Zealand will have to battle it out for the second semis spot. A loss on Sunday will put their chances in jeopardy.

Responding to a user query regarding the importance of Pant under the current scenario in the Indian batting, Chopra agreed that it will be imperative for the left-hander to bat till the very end. He said on his YouTube channel:

“Let’s be honest, Hardik is not in form. We are all expecting that he will hit form. But so far he hasn’t displayed any good form. Rishabh Pant should be there right till the 20th over. If you look at the way he bats, you don’t have a better option than him in the death overs. There is Suryakumar Yadav, but he is a top-order batter, who opens up after getting set. For obvious reasons, he doesn’t get to bat in the top-order. So Pant is India’s X-factor and must bat till the very end.”

Pant played a mature knock of 39 off 30 balls to steady India’s innings after the loss of three early wickets against Pakistan. As for Pandya, he continued to look out of sorts and was dismissed for 11.

Top 3 must lay foundation for Pant: Aakash Chopra

According to Chopra, while Pant will need to fire at the death, India will need solid contributions from the top three to lay the foundation for the southpaw’s slog-overs assault.

He opined that at least one from the famed top-order must bat till the 15th over. Chopra elaborated:

“One batter from the top three needs to be there till the 15th over and one at least till the 8th or 10th over mark. At least one from Kohli, Rohit and Rahul must be out in the middle till the 15th over. That’s your ideal thing, where you only lose one wicket early, two batters stay till the 10th over and, even from them, one must stay till the 15th. And then, of course, Pant needs to bat till the end.”

India lost Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul cheaply against Pakistan as both were undone by Shaheen Afridi’s pace. They could not recover from the early setback and succumbed to a 10-wicket loss.