"Difficult for Rishabh Pant to get a place in India's full-strength team" - Wasim Jaffer after IND vs SA series
Wasim Jaffer believes Rishabh Pant won't find a place in India's full-strength playing XI.
The former opener's observation came after Pant struggled against South Africa in the recently concluded five-match T20I series, which ended 2-2 after the last match in Bengaluru was abandoned due to rain on Sunday. The interim skipper could only collect 57 runs in the first four matches at an average of 14.50 and a strike rate of 105.56.
The series also saw the emergence of Dinesh Karthik as the team's finisher and a viable wicketkeeping option for the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
In an interaction with ESPNcricinfo, Jaffer also picked Karthik over Pant in his preferred Indian batting order. He gave Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who were rested for the South Africa series, their places back at the top and No. 3, respectively, and Suryakumar Yadav, who was injured, a slot at No. 4. Jaffer said:
"I think it will be difficult for Rishabh Pant to get a place in India's full-strength team. You expect Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan to open, Virat Kohli will come at No. 3, Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4, Hardik Pandya at 5, Dinesh Karthik at 6 and Ravindra Jadeja at 7. It would be difficult for Rishabh Pant to get into this team when India's at full-strength."
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Interestingly, head coach Rahul Dravid gave Pant his full backing after the series, professing to avoid any short-term judgment and saying he's an "integral part" of India's plans for the next few months. Dravid also pointed to the youngster's overall potential and the fact that he brings a left-handed option to the squad.
"Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved to be a big positive" - Wasim Jaffer
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Asked to name some positives from the series for India, Jaffer chose veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (six wickets at an average of 14.17), opener Ishan Kishan (206 runs at an average of 41.20), leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (six wickets at an average of 19.33) and speedster Avesh Khan's (four wickets at an average of 26.25) performances. He elaborated:
"Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved to be a big positive. The way he bowled throughout the series, especially in the powerplay, was brilliant. Going forward he's India's certain third seamer in my eyes with Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel. Ishan Kishan's form [was another positive]. He showed consistency and now that KL Rahul isn't available for some time, he can perhaps be the second opener for India."
Jaffer added:
"Yuzvendra Chahal's comeback after the lackluster first two matches perhaps settles him as India's second spinner after all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Apart from that, if you need a backup seamer then [you can look at] Avesh Khan because of the way he came back in the fourth T20 in Rajkot after a mediocre first three games. All these players were the positives in my opinion."
India will now travel to Ireland for a two-match T20I series. While Surykumar will return against the Irish, Pant and Shreyas Iyer will be on leave to join the Test squad for the rescheduled Test against England.
Also Read: "We are not going to make knee-jerk reactions on people" - Rahul Dravid on Shreyas Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikwad after IND vs SA series