3 Reasons Why Rishabh Pant Is Struggling To Make An Impact In Limited-Overs Cricket: With the twenty20 World Cup only 11 months away, the men in blue are rampantly searching for a perfect substitute to M.S. Dhoni.
Earlier this year, Aussie veteran opener Matthew Hayden didn’t shy away from admitting that Rishabh Pant is too good to fetch drinks, he seemed pretty convinced of the latter’s inclusion not only in the 15 man squad but also in the starting eleven of every match. Pant has shared a very on-off relationship with the Indian dressing room but currently, with the skipper’s trust in him bounded by Ravi Shastri’s aggressive strategy, he somehow makes into the field ahead of Dinesh Karthik and Wriddhiman Saha, especially in the shortest format.
The team management has been justifying this bond with the 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman by calling it a marathon not only towards the 2020 World Cup but for a much longer run.
However, Rishabh hasn’t responded very well to this faith by averaging just 19.89 in his 23 international twenty- over games. His wicket-keeping also kept below average standards in the recent bilateral series against Bangladesh which only adds up on the team’s woes.
Rishabh’s failure is evident in his international twenty20 career statistics –
Innings- 21
Runs- 358
Average-19.89
Strike rate- 118.54
The main reasons for the 22-year-old’s failure can be listed as:
1) Big shoes to fill-
M.S.Dhoni is by far the best wicketkeeper-batsman Indian crick has ever witnessed and with the veteran at the fag end of his career, the team needs Pant to deliver with similar expertise. However, he hasn’t been up to the mark and the pressure puts him down further.
2) Irresponsibility-
“Am starting to believe that Rishabh Pant is a brainless stroke full wonder,” a tweet read after India versus West Indies tie. Pant needs to value his wicket and play sensible cricket. The day he stops emulating his IPL mindset, he might perform better.
3) Competition-
Competition stops getting the better of you once people (experts) start comparing you extensively with the others in the same race. Rishabh, who was once the forerunner needs to wait and recollect himself. He needs to concentrate on every ball and not think much.
Every cricketer in the world is aware of the Delhi batsman’s hard-hitting abilities. It’s just about him finding his lost touch and coming back strong to help India lift the twenty20 World Cup trophy next year.
