Rishabh Pant was dropped from India’s playing XI of the first T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand on Friday as India decided to stick to KL Rahul as their wicket-keeper. Rahul’s impressive glovework in the recent ODI series against Australia at home has helped the team management not only to find a solution to the Pant puzzle but also add an extra batsman.
Rahul, who effected his first-ever stumping in international cricket against Australia recently, did not get any dismissal in Auckland but the support for him was still robust. While the fans are now unsure regarding future of Pant who is in the squad, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who recently quit cricket, was confident that the former would still be backed by the team management.
He also suggested a new role for Pant who has made a mark with his batting talent in the first year of making an international debut.
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According to the former Indian all-rounder, Irfan Pathan, the Men in Blue can find a good finisher in Rishabh Pant, given his ability to clear any boundary with ease. He felt the way Rishabh played with dominance in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the southpaw can prove to be a great finisher for India. Pant has not got as much success with the bat in limited-overs as he has in Tests and his ordinary keeping has added to his woes.
Talking about Pant during a show in Star Sports, Pathan said, “The team management is going to keep backing Rishabh Pant. The situation with him is, that they are going to find a good finisher in him. That’s why they are investing in him. He hasn’t shown that yet. But we have seen in the IPL he has finished the game and won the games for Delhi Capitals. That’s what they see him doing in the future, and hence they keep persisting with him.”
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Pathan suggested that if Pant comes in to bat at No.6 and Hardik Pandya comes in at No.7, India will have a solid lower order in the T20Is that often sees tight finishes. Apart from Pant, India have another wicket-keeper-batsman in their squad in New Zealand in Sanju Samson. The latter was picked as the replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan who was ruled out.
