Despite being the captain of the Indian team in the T20I series against South Africa, Wasim Jaffer feels Rishabh Pant's place is not certain in the Indian side when regulars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul return. The former India opener feels Pant needs to watch his back and improve his performances should he wish to keep his place in the team. India vs South Africa 4th T20 Live Score
Pant was handed the captaincy duties following KL Rahul’s withdrawal from the series due to a right groin injury. While Pant has remained a mainstay of the national team for several years now because of his ability in the middle order as well as his role as the wicketkeeper, Jaffer feels his spot has become less cemented with the presence of other keepers in the team.
“Once KL Rahul comes back, he walks into the side. He is a wicketkeeper as well. If Dinesh Karthik is certain to play, he is also a wicketkeeper,” Jaffer said on ESPNCricinfo. “The way Rishabh Pant has played recently, I won't call him a certainty.”
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Pant played his 100th international match across all formats in Visakhapatnam in the third T20I, but as a player renown for his attacking talents in short-form cricket, the numbers in T20Is do not do him justice. He averages 23.32, while striking at 125.95, surprisingly low for a player of his calibre.
{{/usCountry}}Pant played his 100th international match across all formats in Visakhapatnam in the third T20I, but as a player renown for his attacking talents in short-form cricket, the numbers in T20Is do not do him justice. He averages 23.32, while striking at 125.95, surprisingly low for a player of his calibre.
{{/usCountry}}Following MS Dhoni’s retirement from all international cricket in 2020, Pant has been the trusted player behind the stumps in all three formats. However, Jaffer thinks he must fight for his spot in the T20 team, especially after a couple of subpar IPL seasons by his standards. In IPL 2022, captaining the Delhi Capitals, he did not cross 50 once.
“I think he needs to score runs and score pretty consistently. He hasn't done that in the IPL or in any T20 internationals.” In the previous two matches in the series, Pant was dismissed early in his innings, failing to cross single digits. While he did contribute with a quickfire 29(16) in the first match in Delhi, Jaffer feels he needs to do more to keep his spot ahead of other talented Indian middle order batsmen.
“I have said this many times, the way he has played in Test cricket and a few ODI matches, he hasn't done that in T20Is. So I won't say that Rishabh Pant is a certainty going forward.”
In the absence of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, Pant will lead India in the final two T20Is against South Africa and captain the team to a series win, but will also look to improve his personal record in T20Is with greater scrutiny now placed upon him.