Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer reckons Rishabh Pant will find it hard to make it to the playing XI once the senior players are back in the squad. The wicket-keeper batter is going through a lean patch in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa.
Rishabh Pant hasn’t managed to make an impact in the series so far. He has scored only 57 runs in four innings at a dismal average of 14.5. The concerning factor has been his mode of dismissal.
The Indian skipper has got out in a similar fashion in all the T20I matches in the series. He has been dismissed to deliveries wide outside the off-stump and has continued repeating the same mistake. While speaking on Espncricinfo, Wasim Jaffer expressed that Rishabh Pant will find it difficult to make it to the XI after the senior players return. He said,
“I think if you select the next T20 team, then DK stays in the XI without a doubt. KL Rahul comes back as and when he is fit, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, I think those 3-4 guys walk into the side. So, I feel Rishabh Pant will find it hard to get a place in that XI.”
I think Dinesh Karthik has overlapped Rishabh Pant at the moment: Wasim Jaffer
Veteran cricketer Dinesh Karthik has made a fantastic comeback to India’s T20I squad. Batting lower down the order, he has contributed some crucial knocks in the series. Karthik has scored 92 runs at an average of 46 and at a strike rate of 158.62.
Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer feels that Dinesh Karthik is ahead of Rishabh Pant in the race at the moment. However, he added that the future can’t be predicted. Jaffer said,
“I think DK has overlapped Rishabh Pant at least at the moment. I can’t say about the future, but at the moment you would pick DK any time in front of Rishabh Pant.”
The India vs South Africa five-match T20I is leveled at 2-2 after the first four matches. The fifth and final T20I will take place on Sunday, June 19 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
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