"The how and wow sequence keeps on continuing" - Aakash Chopra says Rishabh Pant needs to utilize his chances
Aakash Chopra wants Rishabh Pant to be slightly more consistent with the bat for Team India. He pointed out that the wicketkeeper-batter is oscillating between sublime and poor at the moment.
Pant has flattered to deceive for Team India in limited-overs cricket to date. He played an ungainly shot to be dismissed in the first T20I against the West Indies when Team India were in a slight spot of bother.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra spoke about his expectations from the Indian batters in the second T20I against the Windies. He said the following about Pant:
"I will talk about Pant because the how and wow sequence keeps on continuing. The way he got out in the last match, I was a little disappointed because there was a chance and there is a need to utilize your chances a little more."
The cricketer-turned-commentator wants the youngster to be a little more judicious in his shot selection. Aakash Chopra elaborated:
"He scored runs in one ODI, he did that in one ODI in South Africa as well. But not once in a series, you want more regularly. We all have that greed, we all want more runs, so he can play with a little more responsibility is what I feel."
Pant has an underwhelming record for Team India in T20I cricket thus far. The dashing wicketkeeper-batter has scored 631 runs at a below-par average of 22.53 in the 42 T20Is he has played to date.
"Ishan Kishan needs to play in a little more attacking fashion" - Aakash Chopra
On the flip side, Aakash Chopra wants Ishan Kishan to be a little more adventurous. He explained:
"In my opinion, Ishan Kishan needs to play in a little more attacking fashion because he has got two opportunities, one in the ODI and the other here and he was seen going a little slow in both. You are making Ishan Kishan open because he is a pocket-sized dynamite, he is very explosive."
The 44-year-old added that the diminutive southpaw is yet to prove his credentials at the highest level. Aakash Chopra observed:
"But we have not seen that explosive side till now, it happens a lot of times in the IPL, but at the international level against good teams, the question mark will still be looming large. He got time in the first match as well, so Ishan should play a little more destructively going forward."
Ishan Kishan's 35(42) is the slowest knock by an Indian in T20i's facing a minimum of 40 balls.
Aakash Chopra concluded by pointing out that Suryakumar Yadav has been exceptional thus far and Venkatesh Iyer was brilliant in the last match. He expects the duo to continue in the same vein in the second T20I against the Windies.