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'Rishabh thinks out of the box. He'd not given Kuldeep his 4 overs even when..': Ex-IND batter explains Pant's captaincy
Rishabh Pant had not completed Kuldeep's quota despite the left-arm tweaker picking four wickets for 14 in his three overs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in April.
Rishabh Pant made a debatable decision in the series opener versus South Africa as the India skipper underbowled leggie Yuzvendra Chahal at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Thursday. The 24-year-old Pant, who replaced KL Rahul in the leadership role, made his captaincy debut but endured a defeat when David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen chased down an imposing 212-run total with five deliveries in hand. (Also Read | 'He's built partnerships with Dhoni down the order. He can also play at No.4': Bangar hails India's 'versatile player')
_1655027900209_1655027921840.jpg "Rishabh Pant with Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal (IPLt20.com | BCCI)")
While Pant seemed unperturbed by the pressure of captaincy, Chahal bowled just 2.1 overs in his first game after a highly-successful IPL spell with Rajasthan Royals where he picked up 27 wickets -- the most by any bowler in the expanded 10-team tournament.
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Notably, Pant had also underbowled Kuldeep Chahal while leading Delhi Capitals in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders. The chinaman bowler claimed four wickets for 14 runs in his three overs but didn't complete his quota of four overs.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has explained Pant's 'out of the box' thinking while leading a side. While Pant alters the bowling order, Chopra said it's head coach Rahul Dravid who decides the batting line-up of the team.
"Rishabh Pant does try to think out of the box at times. We've seen that he's not given Kuldeep Yadav his four overs in the IPL, even when he had taken four wickets from his first three. This has not just happened once, but on several occasions. He is a different type of a captain. As far as the batting order is concerned, I don't think Rishabh Pant is the one deciding it. Rahul Dravid would be doing that," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
The cricketer-turned-commentator further heaped praise on Hardik Pandya, who made a stellar comeback after a long injury layoff. Fresh from leading Gujarat Titans to IPL crown in maiden season, the flamboyant Baroda all-rounder hit 31 not out from 12 balls to help India go past 200 in the T20I series opener.
"We missed Hardik Pandya. He is a gun player and he showed what he can do. While he gave away 18 runs from his over, he did beat the batter on three occasions. It was a strange over. Dwaine Pretorius had come out to attack, and he wasn't scared of getting out.
"India were able to get to 211 because of Hardik's batting towards the end. He gets into a strong base. He isn't that bulky, but the strong base and backlift helps him. I feel that India should send him whenever a wicket falls after the 10th over, even if it's the first wicket," Chopra further added.
India will be looking forward to levelling the series when they take on the Proteas in the second T20I at Cuttack on Sunday (June 12). Pacers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh, currently on the sidelines, will be looking forward to possibly playing their first game in India colours.
