Open with Rishabh Pant and just let him be
Rishabh Pant did not feature very prominently during India’s T20 World Cup campaign, which ended with a chastening defeat to England. Much of it was because the Men in Blue seemed intent on using Dinesh Karthik as a finisher.
A part of it was also because they seemed content with KL Rahul’s return at the top of the order. Pant, as fate would have it, was drafted into India’s side for the games against England and Zimbabwe.
But with him batting lower down the order, in a role that he has not really enjoyed in T20I cricket, he could not make a mark. As most things Pant, it has led to many questioning whether he deserves to be around India’s T20I setup.
The calls for a completely new approach have been just as feverish. Some have opined that Pant does not figure in that particular change in tack, largely because of how he has flattered to deceive in the shortest format.
The other side of that argument, though, is that he has not really been given the right platform to flourish in T20I cricket, one that can come about if he is pushed to open.
We want to see our old Rishabh Pant.
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All those years ago, at the 2016 ICC U-19 World Cup, the wicketkeeper featured as an opener, partnering alongside Ishan Kishan. Most of Pant’s India gigs, though, have been in the middle order.
Earlier in the year, there were signs that India were looking at using the Delhi Capitals skipper as an opener. Once Rahul returned, though, that was put on the back burner.
Rishabh Pant has been inconsistent in T20Is
One of the major accusations aimed at Pant is his inconsistency. On days when he gets going, he can take any bowling attack apart. But those have been few and far between, especially in white-ball cricket.
So, from an Indian team perspective, you sort of understand why they might have run out of patience, especially at the start of the T20 World Cup.
Here is the catch, though. India need to evolve from the current safety-first mindset they have in the shortest format. They need to shelve that inherent conservatism for something more cavalier.
That calculation needs to give way for more creativity, and that fascination with fifty-plus scores and hundreds needs to be thrown out the window at the expense of high-impact cameos.
Anyone who has watched Pant in the flesh would agree that he has the ability to produce a match-winning inning out of nowhere. In the middle order, where there is a lot more pressure, that does not come through quite often, possibly because he is unsure of how carefree he can be.
If he were to open, he would not have to think about how to finish the game. Instead, he can concentrate on setting it up and ensuring that those below him have an easier proposition to tackle.
He has not opened a lot in T20 cricket, only doing so 19 times. However, he has scored 627 runs in those 19 innings and has struck at 165.43. His average of 34.83 is not bad either.
That indicates he performs relatively well when given a free hand at the top of the order and given the freedom to tackle the game head-on. In the powerplay, he ticks along at a strike rate a shade more than 141, which is a significant upgrade on what Rahul and Rohit Sharma managed during the T20 World Cup.
Hence, Pant can be a basher at the top of the order—a batter who need not worry too much about his average as long as he is trying to put the opposition under pressure.
Tauranga, here we come! ✈️ 👍
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It would be very similar to what Finn Allen does for New Zealand, and what Mohammad Haris tried to do for Pakistan at the T20 World Cup. Even Cameron Green was highly successful, throwing caution to the wind while opening against India.
So, this is a role that most international teams are looking towards. A lot of it is because T20 cricket has evolved and does not allow for passengers anymore.
The powerplay, as much as being a fight against the new and probably swinging ball, is also a golden opportunity to set the opposition back and lay down an early marker.
Pant might not have the T20I numbers to back up the claim that he is most suitable for that role. But throughout his career, whenever given a chance at the top of the order, he has thrived. Maybe then, India should just open with him and let him be.
It could work or it could not, like most things Rishabh Pant does. But if it does, it will not only help India maximize his potential but also allow them to be at par with the most belligerent batting outfits on the planet.
India need a change in approach, and that became painfully clear throughout the T20 World Cup. Not many can be as perfect a torchbearer as the Delhi Capitals captain. He has the tools and the mindset to relish this sort of opportunity.
And at a time when India would be tempted to look elsewhere for explosive opening options, they would do well to look within and unleash Pant. Because if that happens regularly enough, opponents will have something to fear.