'Rishabh Pant was quite low when he was not selected in the Indian World Cup squad' - Mohammad Kaif
Former Indian middle-order batsman Mohammad Kaif has revealed that Rishabh Pant was quite upset when he was not selected in the initial Indian squad for the 2019 World Cup. He also mentioned that the Indian team has not been able to make the best use of Rishabh Pant's abilities.
Mohammad Kaif, the Delhi Capitals' assistant coach, put forth his thoughts on Rishabh Pant as a cricketer during an interaction with Aakash Chopra on the latter's YouTube channel.
Aakash Chopra asked Mohammad Kaif how he would rate Rishabh Pant as he had seen the latter from close quarters during the IPL, with the young left-hander playing with great confidence for Delhi Capitals but not seeming that confident while playing for India.
Kaif responded that Rishabh Pant is an attacking player and he should play that way right from the outset, rather than being in a dilemma on how to approach his innings.
"Rishabh Pant is a free-flowing player. You need to set his batting number based on the number of overs remaining."
"You need to keep his mind clear, where there should be no doubt if he needs to take singles and play defensively. He is an attacking player and he should play attacking shots from the first ball."
He added that there were several discussions between Ricky Ponting, Sourav Ganguly and Kaif himself regarding Rishabh Pant's batting position before they finally decided that the dynamic left-hander should bat in the final 10 overs irrespective of the batting position.
"So, we had a lot of discussions along with Ponting and Dada if we should bat him at No.3 or No.4 but finally we decided that Pant needs to bat in the last 10 overs."
"He should get to bat the last 60 balls, whether he bats at No.3 or No.5. It is not related to the number of wickets, you need to send him based on the number of overs remaining."
Mohammad Kaif opined that the Indian team has not been able to get the best out of Rishabh Pant as they have not been able to give him a defined role, which has been done by the Delhi Capitals.
"That thing has not happened properly in the Indian team. At times he is batting in the 15th over in a 50-over match. A finisher or attacking batsman should be given a role like that."
"So, I feel that the Indian team has not fixed a proper slot for him but we have done that in the IPL."
Mohammad Kaif on Rishabh Pant not being selected in the original World Cup squad
Aakash Chopra further asked Kaif about Rishabh Pant's state of mind in the initial stages of the 2019 IPL, with the latter being in and out of the Indian team and not selected in the original World Cup squad.
Mohammad Kaif disclosed that Rishabh Pant was a little heartbroken on not being selected.
"Pant was quite low when his name was not there in the initial World Cup squad. He is an emotional person, he was feeling bad that his name was not there."
He added that the Delhi Capitals' coaching staff gave him the required confidence and asked him to keep performing the way he had been doing for the last few years.
"So, we spoke to him a lot that he is still young. At that age, people only start playing and he already has such a big name and has won so many matches."
"None of us had a doubt that he is not a big player and will not play well. We told him that he is a good player, his name may not have come but he should continue doing his job."
"We asked him to keep scoring runs and winning matches, that he had been doing every year. So, we talked to him a little on the mental front."
Kaif signed off by stating that Rishabh Pant is an exceptional player who could prove to be a huge asset once he matures further in the next few years.
"But he is a class player, there is no doubt about that. You don't find such players easily. He has got talent and needs to be used properly, also he is very young. He will become a better player in the next 2-3 years."
Rishabh Pant has been one of the batting mainstays of Delhi Capitals in the IPL. He scored 488 runs in the 2019 edition of the tournament at an excellent average of 37.53 and an outstanding strike rate of 162.66.
Although he was not named in India's original squad for the 2019 World Cup, he joined the team later as a replacement for Shikhar Dhawan. But he had mixed returns at the tournament, scoring 116 runs in the 4 matches he played at an average of 29.00.