Former wicket-keeper batter Parthiv Patel believes Team India needs to include a match-winner like Rishabh Pant in their playing XI. The youngster was dropped from the encounter against Pakistan on August 28. He was brought back into the XI for their match against Hong Kong but didn’t get a chance to bat as well.

While he played in the match against Hong Kong, his place is not sure for the team’s next game, with Hardik Pandya set to return to the playing XI. While talking about that, Patel said on Cricbuzz: “You have to include Pant in that playing XI somehow. He is a game-changer. He also gives a left-right combination. There is no doubt about KL Rahul’s ability, but the injuries he has had and the limited number of games he has played puts a doubt with the World Cup being so close.”

In the absence of a left-handed batter against Pakistan, India promoted Ravindra Jadeja to No. 4 as well. He played well against Mohammad Nawaz and the leg-spin of Shadab Khan. However, talking about that the wicketkeeper’s presence is important as he can rescue the team during a collapse as well and former cricketer Ajay Jadeja shared his thoughts during the same interaction.

“His wicket-keeping has certainly improved and I don’t think there is a batter who has played like that across all formats,” Ajay Jadeja added: “India’s problem in ICC events has mainly been the inability to win big matches after losing the top order. But you need players who can step up in such situations, so Pant’s presence in that playing XI is a no-brainer for me.”