3 reasons why Rishabh Pant might not fit into the playing XI for 2nd T20I
Team India’s keeper-batter Rishabh Pant will be available for the second T20I of the series against England, which will be played on Saturday, July 9. The 24-year-old was among those who did not feature in the opening T20I in Southampton because they were part of the team that featured in the rescheduled Test in Birmingham. Along with Pant, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja will also be available for the remaining matches of the white-ball series.
Although India went down by seven wickets in the Birmingham Test, Pant had a fantastic match with the bat. He scored a brilliant 146 off 111 balls in the first innings to rescue India from a precarious 98 for five. The left-hander chipped in with a half-century in the second innings as well. His dismissal proved to be a crucial turning point in the Test as India’s lower order crumbled.
While India would be tempted to include Pant in the playing XI for the second T20I against England in Birmingham, here are three reasons why the visitors might not include him.
#1 He’s not been in great touch in T20Is for a while
Pant has been in amazing touch in Test matches, but has struggled to replicate the same in T20Is. It’s definitely not a question of form because in the last few red-ball series’, he has come up with excellent performances. It is in the T20Is played in between these Test series’ in which he has been below par.
From the looks of it, the left-hander might have certain technical issues that he needs to sort out to taste success in the T20 format. There are some mind games as well being played by the bowlers, to which the southpaw is falling prey time and again. So it’s more than just a question of lack of runs when it comes to the keeper-batter’s performance with the willow in the 20-over format.
If we take a look at his T20 knocks in recent months, he kept getting out after getting starts in IPL 2022 while leading the Delhi Capitals (DC). He looked good but failed to register a single half-century. In the subsequent T20Is against South Africa, he was a walking wicket as bowlers kept the ball out of his arc and fell chasing those wide deliveries.
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If the Indian think tank decides it would be better to keep Pant away from T20Is for now, he might end up being benched.
#2 Suryakumar Yadav looks a better choice at No. 4
Pant has been given quite a long run at the No.4 position for India in the T20 format. However, he has looked best suited to that number. In fact, his batting record at No. 4 is even poorer than his overall T20I record.
In 22 matches, he has scored 339 runs at an average of 17.84 with a best of 65 not out. He is clearly not the best candidate for the No. 4 position in the 20-overs format. Keeping an eye on the T20 World Cup, it is imperative for Team India to give someone else a chance at the same position.
Suryakumar Yadav looked in excellent touch in the first T20I against England before he got out. He struck a brutal 39 off 19 balls, smacking four fours and two sixes. Suryakumar has the shots in the book to be a successful No. 4 batter for India.
He too doesn’t have a great record at the position - 130 runs in seven matches at an average of 21.66. However, India might be keen to give him a longer run and see how he performs.
#3 Dinesh Karthik might be given an extended run as keeper-batter
What Pant’s shocking failures in T20Is have done is given a new lease of life to Dinesh Karthik’s hopes of making the T20 World Cup in Australia. Of course, he’ll have to be mindful of his keeping skills after missing three chances in the first game against England. However, when it comes to batting, he definitely seems to have his nose in front at the moment.
While Pant had an average IPL 2022 campaign, Karthik was spectacular, hammering 330 runs at a strike rate of 183.33 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). To his credit, he has converted the IPL form into performances at the international level as well on comeback.
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From bowling fast ⚡️ to scoring big 👌 and crediting those behind the scenes. 👏 👏
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He was adjudged the 'Player of the Match' for his blazing 55 off 27 balls in the Rajkot T20I against South Africa. In contrast, Pant scored 58 runs in the entire series at an abysmal average of 14.50.
The keeper-batter has been a disappointment for the majority of his 48 T20Is. As such, the Indian think tank might just opt to give DK a longer run in T20Is.
Also Read: 3 reasons why dropping Virat Kohli for the 2nd T20I would be a bad move