Rishabh Pant has been under immense scrutiny in recent times for the fact that his numbers in the T20s are not very ideal. Rishabh on his day can flip matches in India’s favor single-handedly. So, what has happened to the flamboyant youngster from Delhi who was known for hitting sixes? Rishabh Pant is one of the best test match players, however! So, once a player who was cited to be one of the greatest T20 players is only an asset for India in Test Cricket? How true is that? Pant has been failing to convert his starts into big scores but what could be the exact reasons behind him doing so? Here is an in-depth look at the same:
Rishabh Pant has a Well-Defined role in Test Cricket:
The fact of the matter is that Pant has a well-defined role in test cricket. The Indian T20 team hasn’t given him a well-defined role as of now. In the last few innings, Rishabh did play at the fixed number 4 position but before that, it was all haywire. He was made to play at any random position. Once he used to bat at number 6, the other day he was batting at number 4 and at times at 3. The lack of stability results in Pant getting a lack of clarity with his role.
The way to resolve the situation is that the senior management of senior players must discuss this problem with Pant. He has to be backed. Rishabh has been associated with the national T20 team since 2017, but the clarity also has been missing since. This left-hander has a lot of potential and India should make effective use of it.
He has been given a sense of clarity in the Test format. He is sure that he has to either bat at number 6 or number 7. And has to play according to the situation. Under Virat Kohli, Rishabh was given the full freedom to play his shots and stay as aggressive as possible. If any player can make the game entertaining, it is Rishabh Pant. He has got 4 Test hundreds but has been dismissed in the 90s 6 times.
Slam-Bang Approach:
Some parts of the failure have also come due to Rishabh Pant’s slam-bang approach. While in an interview with Vikrant Gupta at the start of his domestic career, Rishabh Pant was asked which is the one record that he would love to break in the Ranji Trophy. Pant without skipping a beat said I want to be the one to hit most sixes in one season. And last season I already hit 49! In this very incident that when the ball is bowled, Rishabh’s mind just says “HIT!”.
But the international standard of cricket cannot be played that way. You will be tagged a “Slogger” if you want to hit every ball out of the park. So, Rishabh needs to give his style of play a more structured approach. He has shown signs of maturity in a few recent games and now is the time to back this prodigy. Also, he is very daring and doesn’t shy away from playing the weird ramp shots or reverse hits!
The Burden of Expectations is Taking on Rishabh Pant:
When you play in a country with a population of 1.3 billion, you are bound to get pressured. But as an individual, you must not let that take the better of you. Rishabh Pant is one of the most joyful and cheerful people on the field but he might as well be feeling the pressure. At 24, Rishabh is still very young and is a work in progress.
We need to realize the immense potential that this sensation has. He is the only one to score a hundred in Australia, England, and South Africa too as an Indian wicket-keeper. If backed Rishabh can certainly deliver in this format as well.
Rishabh Pant Test Match Stats:
| Stat | Value |
| Matches | 30 |
| Runs | 1920 |
| Average | 40.9 |
| Strike Rate | 70.8 |
| 100s/50s | 4/9 |
T20I Stats:
| Stat | Value |
| Matches | 46 |
| Runs | 723 |
| Average | 23.3 |
| Strike Rate | 126 |
| 100s/50s | 0/3 |
To know more go to TATA IPL 2023: 5 Players Who Can Dominate Next Season of the IPL.
Read more at ICC T20 World Cup: Winners Over the Years, Teams, Captains, Details.
To know more go to ICC T20 World Cup: Top 10 Batters to Watch Out for. Star Batters.
Read more at ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Top 5 Fast Bowlers to Watch Out for.
To know more go to the official page of the BCCI.