Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has warned wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant about his future in international cricket. The youngster, who is captaining India against South Africa, has failed to put runs under his belt in the last few matches.
Pant has failed to lead the team from the front with the bat. He scored just six runs in the third T20I against South Africa on Tuesday. The southpaw gave away his wicket at a crucial time when India were looking to capitalize on the good start by Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Irfan Pathan was asked about Rishabh Pant excelling in Tests but getting stuck in T20Is. He replied:
“He has got stuck a lot, you will have to perform. As of now, you are doing the captaincy but it is possible that going forward a time might come where you might have to work hard to play in the XI.”
Love Rishabh pant as a cricketer but his t20 international numbers need to get better…
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) June 14, 2022
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted the plethora of keeper-batter options Team India have at their disposal. Irfan Pathan explained:
“You already have Dinesh Karthik and Ishan Kishan as wicketkeepers in the playing XI and Sanju Samson is waiting, and KL Rahul (who can keep) is a name who I will always keep in my playing XI. I feel he (Rahul) is the best cricketer. So there is a lot of competition, you cannot keep your bat quiet for too long.”
Overall, Rishabh Pant has just scored 40 runs in the three T20Is against the Proteas thus far and has been dismissed for single-digit scores in his last two innings.
“The T20 game is his” – Irfan Pathan on Rishabh Pant
However, the former all-rounder stressed that Pant is a superstar in the shortest format of the game, however, he is yet to deliver results.
“The T20 game is his, that’s what I believe. There is no doubt that Rishabh Pant is a superstar player. He is a 24-year-old boy, if he plays for the next 10 years, he can become the most fantastic cricketer but that result has not come till now,” Irfan Pathan concluded.
Rishabh Pant will hope to hit the strides in the next game as India look to level the series on Friday in Rajkot.
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