It was not long ago that the Indian team management saw Rishabh Pant as the next big thing in Indian cricket. It was not long ago that the whole of India believed that the southpaw is the one who could fill the big shoes of MS Dhoni. But all those things seemed to be done and dusted now.
Here we look at 3 reasons why the talented southpaw should get a game in 5th T20I
Dropped from team after backing to the hilt
The case of Rishabh Pant is a curious case. He was backed by the team to the hilt. The team management showed immense faith on Rishabh Pant even when he was not getting consistent runs. Just when he was starting to impress everyone with his confidence and runs, he was abruptly dropped from the squad after being ruled out due to concussion protocols. Since then the team management hasn’t even looked into him. He surely deserves a much needed opportunity to show what he posses.
India lack a quality left hander in the middle order
Ever since the void left by the Yuvraj, India haven’t found out a quality left handed bat in the middle order in the limited overs format. A left hander in the middle overs would always give challenge to the opposition captain. A left right opposition in the middle will be difficult for a bowler to change lines often. Rishabh Pant is one guy who can infuse fear in the opposition camp just with his monstrous power hitting.
Rishabh Pant can take the attack from ball one
The main reason for Rishabh Pant’s inconsistency with the bat is that he tries to take the attack from ball one and gets out more often than not without assessing the pitch conditions. In T20s where there is no time to settle and India still lacking a batsman who can take the attack from ball one might make Rishabh Pant a perfect fit in this current Indian set-up. With Rohit, Rahul, and Virat forming a solid top 3, India can definitely gamble with Rishabh Pant in the middle order and ask him to take the attack from ball one. Rishabh Pant can fail at times but his hitting ability and range of shots that he posses will make him a must in the T20I set-up for India