3 reasons why Rishabh Pant is the ideal No. 4 India were looking for in ODIs
Rishabh Pant has emerged as one of the country's finest cricketers in the past five years. Initially given the tag of a white-ball specialist, he has also become one of the best Test players in the world.
The wicketkeeper batter was dropped from the ODI team on India's 2020-21 Australian tour. However, he made a strong comeback in the home series against England in March 2021 with 155 runs in two games.
On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why he is the perfect option to bat at No. 4 for India in 50-overs cricket.
#1 Technically sound against both pace and spin
If you take a look at some of the best No. 4 batters in the history of ODI cricket, you'll observe that most of them have a sound technique facing both pace and spin.
At the moment, India's other options for the No. 4 slot include Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav. While Iyer is a quality player of spin bowling, he has had his fair share of struggles against quicker bowlers. Surya, on the other hand, hasn't been able to replicate his T20I heroics in the 50-overs format.
The experienced top-order of Dhawan, Rohit and Kohli will be well complemented by an attacking middle-order of Pant, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya.
#2 Can help maintain right-left combination
FOR RISHABH PANT! 
💯 FOR RISHABH PANT! 💥
It’s his maiden ODI 💯 and what a knock this has been 🔥
Take a bow! 🙌
#RishabhPant #CricketTwitter #IndianCricketTeam #ENGvIND https://t.co/wZyhwhK1Oa
Regardless of the format, Pant is currently one of the best batters in the country. The 24-year-old has played multiple match-winning knocks in both international cricket as well as the IPL.
The fact that he is a left-handed batter ensures that the batting unit isn't dominated by right-handed batters. This will help the Indian team in maintaining a right-left combination throughout the innings, if required.
He has the ability to win games out of nowhere. His best performance till now in ODI cricket has to be the 125* vs England in the series decider at Manchester in July this year.
#3 Brings forward his A-game in pressure situations
Yuvraj Singh had faith in Rishabh Pant 🙌🇮🇳
#YuvrajSingh #RishabhPant #kevinpietersen #IndianCricketTeam #ENGvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/4o7MjCqJKP
Rishabh Pant is well known for performing under pressure. In 50-overs cricket, his 133-run partnership with Hardik Pandya in the Manchester ODI in July ensured that the team wins even after a top-order collapse.
We have seen multiple such performances from the youngster in the other two formats as well. There is definitely a method to his madness.
Such players are needed in the playing XI for big tournaments. Pant can definitely carry forward the legacy of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni in elite international competitions.