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'His strength is too many shots. But that is also his downfall': Ex-PAK captain's unusual response to question on Pant
The former Pakistan captain had a rather unusual remark on Rishabh Pant over the youngster's T20I struggles.
The BCCI on Monday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, that saw the inclusion of two wicketkeeper-batters in Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik. While Pant had been an integral part of the Indian team ever since MS Dhoni's absence and eventual retirement from the international setup, Karthik made a remarkable comeback to the T20I squad after dominant performances in this year's Indian Premier League.
In fact, many of his performances since his return to the team prompted the Indian team to play Karthik in place of Pant in the side's first Asia Cup 2022 match against Pakistan in the group stage. Pant was reinstated as the first-choice opener in the next game and Karthik was benched in the rematch against Pakistan in the Super 4, before being brought back for the final game against Afghanistan.
Pant's performances in his Asia Cup outings left more to be desired – in three innings, he scored 14, 17 and 20*. The youngster has faced significant criticism over his approach in the shortest format of the game and former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, during his live session on YouTube, was asked by one of the fans over Pant's failure in T20Is so far, and Butt had a pretty straightforward response.
“His strength is too many shots. His downfall is too many shots. Too many shots, all at once,” Butt said.
“This is what makes him special, and this is the reason for his downfall as well. When he is successful, he looks spectacular. He has a good range, he is brave, and he was so many shots in his arsenal. But sometimes, you have to play calculative cricket.”
The former Pakistan skipper further added that Pant has been given a free hand to play his natural game.
“But he has much belief in his ability, he is so confident that he goes for his shot. If he fails, he receives criticism for his shot selection, and if he succeeds, people go in awe. So, I believe he has been given a free hand,” Butt added.
