Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has expressed his concern about Rishabh Pant’s form in T20I cricket. Jaffer feels that Pant is not able to give the best of his abilities in the shortest format of the game as he does in Test format. Jaffer also went on to say that Pant is not a certainty in the Indian side in the T20I format.
Rishabh Pant Continues To Struggle In T20I Format
Well, Rishabh Pant has been the No.1 choice behind the stumps across all the three formats for the Indian cricket team for a while now, however, it is his batting in the shortest format of the game that has become a concern for the Indian side. While he has been amazing in the red-ball cricket, he hasn’t been able to replicate the same success in the shortest format.
While Pant has been a prolific run-getter in Tests, he has only amaassed 723 runs in 46 T20Is at a paltry average of fewer than 24 runs per innings in T20 format.
Recently, he had a decent run in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League for Delhi Capitals where he scored 340 runs in 14 games but he has been struggling to get going in the ongoing 5-match T20I series against South Africa, having scored just 34 runs in 3 games. Pant has thrown his wickets away more than once as South Africa bowlers have managed to get better off him.
Wasim Jaffer Feels Rishabh Pant’s Future Is Uncertain
Meanwhile, Wasim Jaffer feels that Rishabh might not be able to retain his place once KL Rahul is back to the side and also highlighted the presence of Dinesh Karthik in the scheme of things as team India gears up for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022, that will take place later this year in Australia. He said:
“You’ve got KL Rahul. Once he comes back, he walks into the side. He’s a wicketkeeper as well. If Dinesh Karthik is certain to play, then again, he is also a wicketkeeper. So, I am not too sure. The way Rishabh Pant has played recently, I won’t call him a certainty”
He added:
“I think he still needs to score runs and score them pretty consistently. He hasn’t done that in the IPL. He hasn’t done it in many T20Is.”
“I’ve said that many times – the way he has played in Test cricket, the way he has played in quite a few ODI innings as well, he hasn’t done that in T20Is. So, I won’t say that Rishabh Pant is a certainty for me (in T20Is) going forward,”
