India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was irked by a question from noted cricket pundit Harsha Bhogle who appeared to have compared his red and white-ball numbers with the legendary Virender Sehwag.
Harsha Bhogle's questions came at a time when Rishabh Pant's ongoing struggles in white-ball cricket ignited a massive debate about his place in Team India in cricketing circles. Notably, Rishabh Pant is the only India wicketkeeper batter to score hundreds in South Africa, England, and Australia in the longest format of the game but his numbers in limited-overs cricket have been criticized.
In the T20I and ODI series against New Zealand that concluded on Wednesday, the left-hand attacking batter failed to get going, ending the tour with only 42 runs in four innings across the two formats.
In the final ODI at Christchurch, Rishabh Pant was dismissed for 10 off 16 balls after scoring 6, 11, and 15 in his three previous knocks.
Harsha Bhogle: “Maine Viru se bohut saal pahle ye sawal poocha tha, ab apse puch raha hu. Aapko dekhke lagta hai, white-ball game inki khaas baat hogi but aapka Test record sabse accha hai. (I had asked the same question to Sehwag, now I'll ask you. Looking at you, we get the feeling that white-ball cricket is your USP but it's your Test record that is better…)
Rishabh Pant: “Sir, record toh ek number hai. Mera white-ball record bhi kharab nahi hai. Thik hai T20 ka… (Sir, records are just numbers. My white-ball record is not bad either…)”
Harsha Bhogle (interrupting): “Main kharab nahi kar raha hu, comparison kar raha hu. (I'm not saying it's bad, I'm comparing it with the Test numbers)”
Rishabh Pant: “Comparison karna toh sir apne life ka part hi nahi hai na. Abhi main 24-25 years ka hu, comparison karna hai toh jab main 30-32 ka ho jayunga tab karna, usse pahle toh koi logic nahi hai mere liye. (Doing comparisons is not a part of my life. I'm 24-25, if you want to compare, you can do that when I am 30-32).”
Rishabh Pant interview with Harsha Bhogle before 3rd ODI against NZ talking about rain, batting position, stats and scrutiny over T20i performance & WK drills. #NZvINDonPrime pic.twitter.com/TjOUdnPTCz
— S H I V A M (@shivammalik_) November 30, 2022
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant revealed his preferred batting positions across formats. In Test cricket and ODIs, the 25-year-old dasher wants to stay at No.5 while in T20Is, he wants to open the innings.
“I would choose to bat in the top order in T20Is, number 4-5 in ODIs and in Tests I'm batting at 5. Yes, the game plan changes when you're batting lower down the order but at the same time you have to bat where the team wants you to. There's no need to premeditate in ODIs, only in T20s you need to premeditate,” Rishabh Pant said.
Despite Rishabh Pant's lean patch with the bat, India skipper Shikhar Dhawan and coach VVS Laxman were keen on sticking with the southpaw for a few more matches as they consider him a match-winner.
“It's not that tough. Like in Rishabh's case, he played the one-dayers in England and scored a century there. And a player who gets a 100 gets backing. Everything is done keeping the larger picture in mind. If there is a match-winner, you have to back him. A decision is taken after analysing a lot of things,” Shikhar Dhawan explained his decision during the post-match press conference after the third game of the ODI series was called off due to inclement weather with the Kiwis winning the series 1-0.
“Of course, Sanju is doing really well. Whatever opportunities he has gotten, he has done well but sometimes despite performing well, a player has to wait because the one before him has been doing well. The skill he (Pant) has, we know that he is a match-winner. Certain cushioning needs to be given that cushioning when he isn't performing. So that cushioning is given to that player,” Shikhar Dhawan signed off.
“It's about giving them opportunities and also informing them whenever they aren't picked. Pant has been doing well at no.4, not too long ago he scored an important century at Old Trafford and it's important to back him. T20 cricket has given batters more confidence about clearing the grounds no matter how big the outfields are, they also work a lot with the range-hitting,” VVS Laxman said in an interaction with Prime Video.
Even New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson had his say on the Rishabh Pant vs. Sanju Samson debate as he defended Shikhar Dhawan's decision to drop Sanju Samson from the playing XI.
“The Indian team is just so talented so I guess one of the challenges is that you are weighing up different options among some fantastic players. Sometimes it's tough to know exactly but you know that whoever you pick in that team, they're going to be super talented as we know and as I've seen first-hand playing in India. So yeah, it's a challenge and just one of those things. As a leader, you are part of some decision-making and you're looking to buy in to what teams and everybody else is trying to do. You try and move forward,” Kane Williamson said.
Follow Us
Subscribe