Former India cricketer Madan Lal feels Rishabh Pant shouldn’t have been given the responsibility to lead Team India in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa. The series ended in a draw 2-2, as the fifth T20I was abandoned due to rain.
KL Rahul was initially named as the captain for the series, with Pant as his deputy. However, the opener suffered an injury and was ruled out. In his absence, Rishabh Pant was promoted as the captain. India fared badly in the first T20Is and was trailing 2-0 in the series. However, they made a good comeback to level the series 2-2.
Speaking about Rishabh Pant’s captaincy and his batting performance, Madan Lal expressed that the wicket-keeper needs to be more mature. Pant could manage only 58 runs in five innings in the series. Madan Lal said to Sports Tak,
“I would have stopped him from becoming captain. Wouldn’t have allowed it. Because such a player needs to be given this responsibility later. Becoming an India captain is a big deal. He is a youngster. He isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The longer he plays, he will gain more maturity.”
If Rishabh Pant can take his game to the next level, he can be a good captain: Madan Lal
Former India cricketer Madan Lal further expressed that Rishabh Pant needs to work on his batting over the next two years. He added that the wicket-keeper’s personality is different from MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli’s. Madan Lal said,
“Over the next two years, if he can take his game to the next level, then he can be a good captain and can deal with things maturely. This is a player of a different nature. MS Dhoni was a quiet and cool captain, which suited him as captain. Virat Kohli is a brilliant batter.”
“I’m not saying Pant shouldn’t be swinging his bat but if he can play with a little more maturity, it would be great,” he added.
Rishabh Pant has joined the Indian team in England for the fifth test match at the Edgbaston in Birmingham starting on July 1. Before the test, the team will play a warm-up match against Leicestershire.
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