"Not every slogger can open!!!"- Furious fans want Rishabh Pant dropped from India's T20I team after another failure
The experiment of sending Rishabh Pant to the top of the order hasn't worked as the southpaw was dismissed for just six runs off 13 balls in the second T20I against New Zealand at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
Rishabh Pant opened the batting with Ishan Kishan and many felt this was the right move as he would be able to express himself better with the field up. However, he struggled to put bat to ball and apart from an on-drive, failed to find any gaps.
In the end, Pant just seemed frustrated and tried to play a wild slog to a delivery from Lockie Ferguson. Instead, he just ended up getting a top edge and Tim Southee completed a fine catch, running behind from short third man.
Fans on Twitter have been frustrated with the backing that Rishabh Pant has received despite not giving any performance of note. They slammed the stand-in Indian vice-captain for not making the most of his opportunity. Here are some of the reactions:
What does Pant have over Samson in T20is ? He isn't even clear of Nikhil Naik
@BCCI https://t.co/ztcJcy9qUu
Isse accha toh ye match bhi barish se washout ho jata. #NZvIND
Great innings by Pant should be our permanent opener ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ
This royal treatment to Pant, oh god. Blessed soul.
Rishabh Pant 6(13) as an opener. Shambolic
Pretty meh knock from RP. He's not started well for a while now. Let's see how it goes, he will be backed so let's see how long and how it works out for him.
Absolutely ridiculous innings and people were calling me out for that Pant tweet?
One boundary and then ate 12 balls,still couldn't play good innings ,how much backing is this guy gonna get it's very frustrating at this point.
If team management is not serious about building a team. Hum kyun apna khoon jalaye?
RP ๐คฆ๐ปโโ๏ธ #INDvsNZ
Chance after chance to Pant have gone begging and players on sidelines are spectators waiting, itching to play and prove a point. This is embarrassing especially if you are a fan.
Just woke up and saw match is on.
Thank god I didnโt had to see Pantโs torturous innings. Bhai Kya kar raha hain tu ๐ญ
Bhuvi Playing ahead of Umran Malik when T20 WC is in 2024.
Matlab gaali dene ka maan karta hain TM ko ab ๐ญ #cricketTwitter #NZvIND
Kya hua bhai clutch genes ko.
Bat utha nahi paa Raha hai ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
Rishabh Pant vs Lockie Ferguson in T20 cricket
37 runs, 36 balls, 3 wickets, 12.33 average, 102.7 SR
Dismissed by a hard length ball again. But Gill Paaji told me that Pant can take down high pace and every matchup ๐
Rishabh Pant In T20I https://t.co/zgkSyY1U6P
The most hilarious selection by Chetan Sharma and team was making Rishabh Pant vice captain of the t20 squad!!
Thats 100 times sad than being hit of a last ball 6 by Javed Miandad!
Pant bro, I'm so sorry to say this, I love you sm, but YOU'RE SHIT IN T20s
Rishabh Pant ko T20I mein kya ho jata hai. All this talent but still struggling despite so many chances.
Rishabh Pant - 6 (13) || 46.15 SR
Most T20I Innings for India with Less than 50 SR (min 10b)
3 times - Shikhar Dhawan
3 times - MS Dhoni
2 times - Rishabh Pant*
2 times - Yuvraj Singh
2 times - Rohit Sharma
#INDvNZ
Give this 100 more matches, he will perform sure. Otherwise give him chance as a bowler. Pant is very good fast bowler. Also can bowl spin when team requires twitter.com/CricCrazyJohnsโฆ
Trying to pull a ball on the 6th stump which could have easily been cut over point, as he would have done in ODIs & Tests.
Pant's pre-meditation to play everything on the leg side in T20 is a HUGE issue. It's become a very bad habit.
Ye Rishabh Pant opener thodi hai ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Dear BCCI, please play real opener ! Who trained themselves to open like Gill and Prithvi or Dhawan!
Not every slogger can open!!! Stop experimenting!!!!!
#INDvsNZ #INDvNZ
Time running out for Rishabh Pant in T20Is?
Having not performed consistently in the middle-order, Pant has been in and out of the Indian T20I side. Even in the T20 World Cup, the southpaw didn't play the first four games as the team preferred Dinesh Karthik.
It seems that the management have decided that Pant is just not meant to be in the middle-order and that he might do more damage as an opener. However, this failure has made fans wonder how long the left-hander will be backed with names like Sanju Samson and Prithvi Shaw waiting in the wings.
Fellow opener Ishan Kishan got off to a decent start and Team India have posted 50/1 after 6.4 overs with play having been stopped due to a rain interruption at the time of writing.
New Zealand XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson
India XI: Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya (c), Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal