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Former AUS teammate urges Ricky Ponting to let Rishabh Pant open for DC: 'Those 6 overs is where he can do some damage'
The former player says that he expects to see a a “big IPL” from Rishabh Pant this season and that he has to be opening on T20 and one-day cricket.
India seem set to persist with playing Rishabh Pant in the lower middle order calls increasing for him to be given a run opening the innings in both T20 and ODI cricket. Despite being known for his aggression in Test cricket and his remarkable consistency, Pant has not had the same kind of success in limited overs, particularly T20 cricket.
Pant has played 32 Test matches in which he has scored 2169 runs at an average of 43.38 with five centuries and 10 half centuries. In ODIs though, he has 865 runs in 30 matches at an average of 34.60 with one century and five half centuries. In T20Is, he has scored 987 runs in 66 matches at a meagre average and strike rate of 22.43 and 126.37 respectively.
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg now hopes that his longtime former international teammate and captain Ricky Ponting would get Pant to open while playing for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Pant is captain of DC while Ponting is set to reprise his role as head coach of the team.
“The only thing that I want to see with Rishabh Pant right now is improvement in white-ball formats. When the field is spread, he doesn’t seem to have much success as he has in Test cricket. He’s up there at the IPL with Ricky Ponting. I think we’ll see a big IPL from Rishabh Pant this year. He’ll attack the game differently and he’ll have a different role. Hopefully Ricky Ponting gets him to open rather than (sending him) down the list," said Hogg on his Youtube channel.
“With the powerplay, with only two fielders out, those six overs is where he can really do some damage in T20 cricket. It’s the same in the 50-over game. Try and get him to open, where he can blast away in those first 10 overs with only two out. In the next 30 overs, you can only have four out. There's still one or two places in the outfield where he can attack," he said.
