Can Rishabh Pant play as an opener ahead of Shikhar Dhawan in ODIs?
The rise of Rishabh Pant at the international level has been striking. The Delhi lad has left no stone unturned to prove himself worthy of holding a spot in the national team.
Making his Test debut in England ahead of the ODIs was perhaps the biggest turning point in Pant's life. He was inducted into the Test side on the tour to England, getting picked ahead of Dinesh Karthik who was ruled out due to poor form.
It was in the Oval Test where Pant impressed everyone with his century on the last day, answering the critics who didn't expect him to be ready for Test cricket.
He now appears to be the preferred choice of the selectors, and was a part of the team in the recently concluded Test series against West Indies. He even scored 92 runs twice in the series to consolidate his place in the team.
As a result, the selectors didn't hesitate to pick him ahead of Karthik for the Test series in Australia later this year, alongside Parthiv Patel.
Pant is an aggressive batsman and a fierce hitter of the cricket ball. He possesses the ability to hit massive sixes and keep the scoreboard ticking briskly. The selectors have now also finally decided to look beyond MS Dhoni in the T20 team, selecting Pant instead.
However, with the World Cup around the corner, they still believe that MS Dhoni's presence in the ODI team is of utmost importance. So where does that leave Pant?
With Pant's rising utility, he is probably becoming the biggest contender for the wicket-keeper's spot in the limited overs teams. But considering that Virat Kohli's first choice would be Dhoni, and with the Indian middle-order being very compact, it would be difficult for Pant to feature in the ODIs.
In this scenario, the opening spot is another prospect for Pant. Here, we take a look at the merits of his selection as an opener.
Shikhar Dhawan's indifferent recent form
One man's loss is another man's gain, and that old adage holds true in this case. Shikhar Dhawan has not been in the best of form in recent times. With the Indian team getting ready for the upcoming World Cup, Dhawan's dip in form could cost him his place in the side.
In the recently concluded ODI series against West Indies, when other batsmen enjoyed feasting on the dismal Windies side, Dhawan could only score 122 in 5 innings.
In the series against England earlier this year, he managed 120 in 3 ODI innings and fared even poorer in the T20Is with just 19 runs in 3 innings. However, he did score big in the Asia Cup and in the series against South Africa earlier this year.
Left-right opening combination
The Indian team management has previously tried experimenting with KL Rahul at the opening spot, but the results were not convincing. They later settled again on Dhawan to re-implement the left-right combination.
Pant is also an option that could work in this system. He is also a left-handed batsman and is in good form of late.
Attacking intent at the top of the order
Pant has earned a huge reputation for being a no-holds-barred aggressor with the bat. Right from his junior cricket days, he has made waves with his quick and fiery innings.
He was the part of the U-19 World Cup 2016 team and played as an opening batsman. He struck the fastest fifty of U-19 history against Nepal to help India qualify for the semi-finals. Later in the tournament he scored a hundred against Namibia which earned him his IPL cap for Delhi Daredevils.
Though he bats in the middle order for his IPL franchise, Pant's match-winning performances can't be ignored. He took the world by surprise by scoring 97 against Gujarat Lions which single-handedly propelled Daredevils to a win, and there's no reason why he can't replicate the same in international cricket too.
The next World T20 is around the corner
Pant also holds the record for the fastest T20 century by an Indian. In a game against Himachal Pradesh during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he opened the innings along with Gautam Gambhir and blasted a 32-ball century. Delhi won that match with 50 balls to spare. He also has an IPL century to his name.
His place in the top order will provide Virat Kohli a chance to incorporate an extra batsman in the middle-order. With Pant's aggressive batting approach, the team will likely not miss Shikhar Dhawan's services in the team.
Pant's aggressive batting approach can easily complement Rohit Sharma's more measured batting, who generally takes time to settle. His induction as an ODI opener can also be beneficial for the Indian T20 side to get a refreshing new look at the top, keeping in my that the next World T20 is not too far away.