One match after registering his highest score in limited-overs internationals, Rishabh Pant left a lot of his fans scratching their heads when he played a reckless shot to get out during the third ODI between India and South Africa in Cape Town on Sunday. Pant was dismissed for a first-ball duck with India having lost Shikhar Dhawan for a well-compiled half-century.
With Virat Kohli set at one end, India could have really done having Pant stay long and forge a partnership, but it was another moment of adrenaline and poor shot making that led to his downfall as India eventually went on to lose a thriller by four runs.
Former India batter Aakash Chopra and ex South Africa pacer Dale Steyn analysed Pant's shot selection with both expressing surprise over the 23-year-old's decision to give the first ball the big hoick. Chopra was not a fan of Pant playing the shot which he did and said that although he is young, it does not give him the wicketkeeper batter any excuse to fall to such dismissals at the international stage.
"Reckless. Irresponsible. Letting the team down. We all know Rishabh is who Rishabh is. But then if you were to compare this shot with another shot, I would say what he played at Johannesburg - he just ran down the pitch to Kagiso Rabada – India had already lost wickets. This is exactly the same replica of what he did there. And there are no excuses. From how to wow, to how to wow, this is what Rishabh Pant has been dishing out. When he plays beautifully, that's the wow. But very often you are also saying… 'how did you do that Rishabh?'," Chopra said on the Byju's Cricket Live Show on Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}"Reckless. Irresponsible. Letting the team down. We all know Rishabh is who Rishabh is. But then if you were to compare this shot with another shot, I would say what he played at Johannesburg - he just ran down the pitch to Kagiso Rabada – India had already lost wickets. This is exactly the same replica of what he did there. And there are no excuses. From how to wow, to how to wow, this is what Rishabh Pant has been dishing out. When he plays beautifully, that's the wow. But very often you are also saying… 'how did you do that Rishabh?'," Chopra said on the Byju's Cricket Live Show on Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}"Yes, he is 25. We should have a lot of time for him but people – Rahul Dravid, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma will have to have conversations with him that you will have to get better with your shot selections and two things are non-negotiable. Respect the conditions, respect the team situation. If you don't do that, its never good."
Steyn, on the other hand, admitted that he is a fan of Pant for the excitement he shows in his batting, but at the same time admitted that some of the shots he plays is beyond his understanding.
"I am actually a big fan of Rishabh Pant. I love the way he plays. He's a very exciting cricketer and it kind of grinds me as an opposition. And I look at him and pinch myself, 'what are you doing. Why would you do that?' He did that in the Test matches. Had he batted another five overs there, things would have been different," mentioned Steyn.