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Is there a conspiracy against Rishabh Pant especially in white ball cricket? It is being said that he isn’t getting the kind of runs which are required to earn the trust factor. He is over 27 and by this time he should have been in his prime to make those loud statements. But Pant is yet to reach that level of competence in white ball cricket. With an average around 33 in ODIs and over 23 in T20s, the numbers aren’t improving much. Although, match-winners strangely don’t have great numbers and Pant is one of them. Therefore, the area of concern is that Pant isn’t winning games for India in white ball cricket and because of his ordinary statistics, there are three wicket-keeper batters who are in contention to take his place.
There is Sanju Samson in T20s who is vying to push Pant out of the shortest version of the game. Then, there is KL Rahul who has added the much-needed impetus to India’s middle-order batting in ODIs and is almost threatening to push Pant out of the playing XI.
It is also been discussed that Pant was almost left out of the Sydney Test but captain Rohit Sharma came to his rescue. It is believed that Dhruv Jurel was preferred over Pant. In the end, Pant played the game but there is enough reason to believe that Pant is no longer assured of a spot in the playing XI.
Pant’s improved show of strength with the bat is also applicable to his IPL outfit Lucknow Super Giants, who mean business when it comes to performance on the field. Even a giant like MS Dhoni wasn’t spared by the franchise owner, who was seen insulting a gentleman like KL Rahul.
So, life is tough for Pant for the next three to six months. On top of that, some former cricketers are saying that Pant isn’t as fluent as he was during his formative years. But the good thing is that Pant isn’t soaked in this negativity of expectations. He is very clear in his head about his process that has given him recognition at the highest level. That is to think less and play more. Let’s wait and watch how it comes out from here!
