Team India fans went into a meme frenzy after wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant failed to fire against Zimbabwe at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in their last Group 2 game in the T20 World Cup on Sunday. Rishabh Pant finally made his first appearance in India's final XI in Melbourne after captain Rohit Sharma chose to drop veteran Dinesh Karthik following a string of poor scores in the tournament.

However, his well-documented struggles in T20I cricket continued on the weekend as he could only make 3 runs off 5 deliveries in the contest against Zimbabwe. Though he was a bit unlucky as Ryan Burl took a stunning catch in the deep to send him back to the pavilion.

India's other wicketkeeper batter, Dinesh Karthik has experienced a dismal run in the T20 World Cup and has barely contributed with the bat. At times, even his wicketkeeping has also been under fire.

So far in the four matches that Dinesh Karthik has played in the T20 World Cup in Australia, he has managed to score just 14 runs with 7 off 5 deliveries against Bangladesh being his highest.

As Dinesh Karthik wasn't delivering the goods in his designated role of a “finisher”, Rishabh Pant was given a chance to fill that gap in India's middle order. But as he failed to sparkle, disappointed netizens took to Twitter to mock the left-hander batter with funny memes and hilarious jokes.

 

Earlier, Australia's two-time World Cup winner Ricky Ponting had claimed that he was “surprised” by Rishabh Pant's non-inclusion in India's playing XI.

“I am really surprised that he is not playing. One, he is a match winner; two, he is a left-hander, which they might need at different times through the middle order. I was reading through some of the quotes of Axar Patel that they are backing his batting if they need a left-hander in the middle to go up and play that sort of role. Two spinners mean it is hard for Rishabh to get in and play that role. India are a bit like Australia coming in; they never really knew what their best team was, probably because they never knew what kind of conditions they would get here,” Ricky Ponting said.

“But one thing I know about Rishabh Pant is that he is a match-winner, and we have seen what he has done in Australia before, in Test cricket and in white-ball cricket. But who knows? Maybe if they make it through, he might play one of the bigger games in the back end of the tournament,” the Australian batting stalwart added.

“But one thing I know about Rishabh Pant is that he is a match-winner, and we have seen what he has done in Australia before, in Test cricket and in white-ball cricket. But who knows? Maybe if they make it through, he might play one of the bigger games in the back end of the tournament,” Ricky Ponting emphasized.

Before Ricky Ponting, another Australian great Ian Chappell slammed skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid for picking Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant. Widely regarded as one of the most destructive batters in world cricket, Rishabh Pant is no stranger to producing match-winning knocks in Australia.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings, CSK, IPL, Indian Premier League, Lucknow Super Giants, LSG, India, Indian Cricket Team,

Pawan Atri ·

MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings, CSK, IPL, Indian Premier League, Lucknow Super Giants, LSG, India, Indian Cricket Team,

Pawan Atri ·

Virat Kohli, T20 World Cup, Indian Cricket Team, Rohit Sharma, Simon Doull, India,

Pawan Atri ·

During the 2019-20 Test series Down Under, the southpaw not only subdued the Australian pacers in Brisbane but also tormented them with his ultra-aggressive batting, making India the first team in history to register back-to-back series triumphs there.

Moreover, being a left-hander, Rishabh Pant was also expected to add a different dimension to India's XI, considering 10 of the 11 batters in their line-up are right-handers.

“What has Tim David done at the international level? Sometimes, selectors pick players on domestic form, and I think India is a classic example. They are picking Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant… ridiculous! I mean, Rishabh Pant should be playing every game. So, that's the tendency,” legendary Australian cricketer Ian Chappell told Sydney Morning Herald.

“I've been saying to wait on Tim David, let's play him after the World Cup, get him some international matches. Not just belt the average 120kmh guys, belt the 150kmh guys. Because that's not so easy,” he stated.

Even India's former explosive opener Virender Sehwag had slammed Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid for keeping Rishabh Pant out.

“This should have been the case from the first day. Pant has played Tests and ODIs there, and has performed. When did Dinesh Karthik last play in Australia? This isn't a Bangalore wicket. I said this even today that Pant should've been in the team instead of Hooda, Pant has the experience of playing here. He broke Gabba's pride in his legendary knock),” Virender Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.com.