Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) coach Justin Langer opined in the press conference after the franchise faced a defeat against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Monday. Following the loss, LSG remained at the bottom of the IPL points table, with only two wins in eight matches as well. With the franchise’s campaign almost over, Langer answered many questions, especially on Rishabh Pant’s captaincy.

“We played a practice game here two days ago, and Rishi (Rishabh Pant), I’m not sure of the exact final score, maybe 95 off 40 or 30 balls-you’re just looking at it and you go, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s Rishabh Pant at his very best.’ So, he’s a very good player; we know that. We’ve seen him in Test cricket destroy teams at number five, and we felt today, given that and the way he played just two days ago after a seven-day break, that it might be a good option for the team,” he said.

Justin Langer also revealed that it was Rishabh Pant’s ‘selfless’ decision to demote himself in the batting order as well. The move initially looked successful, as Nicholas Pooran scored a swashbuckling 63 off 21 balls before being dismissed.

“He selflessly moved down the order to let Nicky P bat, whose batting was unbelievable. So yeah, Rishi’s not far off. As a captain in the IPL, or as a coach, you’ve got to keep fronting up, don’t you? That’s all you can do, and he’ll keep fronting up and hopefully help us get some wins over the next few games,” he added.

However, Rishabh Pant was bought by the Lucknow franchise for a massive price of Rs 27 crore after leaving the Delhi Capitals. The LSG coach was also asked if the title of being the ‘most expensive player in IPL history’ is weighing on him as well. LAnger, however, does not believe that and backed Pant as well.

“Honestly, I don’t think the money has anything to do with it; I don’t think that has anything to do with it at all. What I do think is that leadership is a tough position, you’re carrying lots of pressure, and he knows that,” he said.

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“He’s carrying a lot of pressure for the team, and he does it, like all of us, with a smile on his face 98% of the time. The other 2% of the time, it’s tough. But he’s chipping away, he’s working hard and, as I say, he’s had a match-winning game earlier in the season. We love it when we see him smiling and playing that swashbuckling style of play, and he’s not far off,” Justin Langer concluded.