Team India's drought at big ICC events extended as the Men In Blue suffered a 10-wicket hammering against Jos Buttler's England in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup, who eventually went to win the tournament. The campaign was not a great one for skipper Rohit Sharma, who struggled to get going during the course of the tournament. Barring the 50-plus score against Netherlands, Rohit's bat remained silent on all the other occasions, which also include the semifinal against England, where he managed 27 off 28 deliveries.
Apart from Rohit, KL Rahul also drew immense flak for failing against tougher opponents. In fact India didn't even cross the 50-run mark once during the powerplay overs, with 46 against Zimbabwe being the highest.
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India also invested in Dinesh Karthik over Rishabh Pant but were forced to switch to the left-hander in the clash against Zimbabwe. He then remained part of India's XI during the semis but got only four deliveries to play before being forced to sacrifice his wicket for Hardik Pandya.
After yet another disappointing outing at the T20 World Cup, several questions are being raised over the future of few players proceeding ahead. Sharing views on the same, ex-India cricketer Robin Uthappa feels the think tank should consider Rishabh Pant to bat “in the top three.”
{{/usCountry}}After yet another disappointing outing at the T20 World Cup, several questions are being raised over the future of few players proceeding ahead. Sharing views on the same, ex-India cricketer Robin Uthappa feels the think tank should consider Rishabh Pant to bat “in the top three.”
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Uthappa made the suggestion during an interaction with Sportskeeda, and justified his pick by highlighting Pant's success at the top. The wicketkeeper-batter has piled a staggering 486 runs at a strike-rate of 162, while batting at the top in the Indian Premier League.
"The next World Cup will be held in West Indies and USA in 2024. If we look at the conditions there, I feel Rishabh Pant should bat at top three. I feel he should either open or bat at number three.
"If you look at his IPL records, he's performed the best when he has batted in the top three. When he's opened or batted at number three, that's where he has played his best cricket.
“If a player is successful and a match winner in Test or ODI cricket, then you should definitely let him play at that position. You have to nurture the talent and ability and give him the opportunity to become a match-winner at that place,” said Uthappa.