India captain Rishabh Pant bagged two successive single-digit scores in the ongoing series versus South Africa, his first as India’s captain.
Pant had started the series with a cracking knock of 29 runs from 16 balls in Delhi. However, his next two innings, in Cuttack and Visakhapatnam have seen him record scores of 5 and 6 respectively, both times he was part of the middle-order collapse.
On Tuesday in the third T20I, Pant was even dropped during his innings but couldn’t make the Proteas pay for their mistake.
He came in to bat at the score of 128/2 at the 13-over mark with the stage laid for him and the rest to provide a late flourish and take the total close to 200. However, a 97-run stand between Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad – with both batters registering their respective fifties – didn’t quite get the onslaught in the middle overs that it deserved.
Iyer managed 14 off 11 before Pant arrived. Well, Pant didn’t really quite arrive with his hype and expectations as he failed to middle his shots and played a scrappy knock.
He saw Kishan get out, then almost got himself out to the trickery of Dwaine Pretorius in the 16th over but for the drop by Rassie van der Dussen of all fielders at the deep backward point position.
However, in the same over again, just four balls after being dropped, Pant gave another chance. This time, though, it was South African skipper Temba Bavuma who didn’t make any mistake taking the catch running behind from mid-off after Pant mistimed his slog to a slower delivery.
Although Pant is already a legend in Test cricket and in the IPL – his numbers in T20Is doesn’t do justice to his talent and potential: 46 matches, 723 runs at an average of 23 and strike rate of 126!
His scratchy 6 runs off 8 balls innings invited plenty of criticism from netizens.
Here are some of the tweets trolling Rishabh Pant for another poor knock:
Rishabh Pant’s nightmare comes to an end. Clueless batting
#IndvSA #CricketTwitter
— Sushant Mehta (@SushantNMehta) June 14, 2022
Rishabh Pant. So brilliant in Tests. So bad in white-ball cricket. #INDvSA
— Jamie Alter
(@alter_jamie) #RishabhPant is the most immature cricketer in Indian team.
— Johnnny
(@KDB_0_0_7) Before rating Sanju samson give him atleast 50% chances that Rishabh Pant got. 46 T20i matches with 23 avg and 126 SR speaks volumes about Pant the t20 player. #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/K1mE0xV1Sx
— Anurag (@RightGaps) June 14, 2022
Rishabh Pant is not even fit enough to be in the team. Let alone be the captain. #RishabhPant #INDvsSA
— Jatin Chugh (@chugh_it) June 12, 2022
Do you guys still think that Rishabh Pant should be placed in Team India?
I am tired man watching its daily performance. #RishabhPant #BCCI #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/kN8aTIY6SE— Rishabh Pathak (@rishabh1257) June 14, 2022
Missed the game for a while, tuned to the scoreboard and saw yet another Rishabh Pant T20I failure
— Jaanvi
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(@ThatCric8Girl) #RishabhPant
Wow what a player pic.twitter.com/pV6u4c0B5Y— #Reddipalli Tirumalesh (@Tirumu3) June 14, 2022
