Rishabh Pant hasn’t got his tempo right in T20 cricket: Daniel Vettori
India outclassed New Zealand in all three departments to clinch the T20I series 3-0. However, there are certain areas where the team still needs to up their game. Former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori has thus spoken on the one aspect where team India needs to look after.
In the recently concluded series, India’s opening batters brought up consistent performances. But the middle-order of the side did not appear to be at its absolute best. Speaking about the same, Vettori shed light on the form of keeper-batter Rishabh Pant.
According to the former New Zealand cricketer, Pant’s form is a major concern for India. He stated that the explosive batter is a tad bit unclear about his role in the team particularly in the T20I series against the Black Caps.
“He hasn’t got his tempo right in T20 cricket. He hasn’t quite understood his role, particularly in this series. Sometimes he is overly cautious and then he is reckless. It doesn’t feel like there’s a flow to his game. When you see a great T20 batsman batting well, it is all about flow, momentum and you feel that rhythm too. He hasn’t really got that yet,” said Daniel Vettori while speaking to ESPNCricinfo.
I think the onus is on Rishabh Pant to find the right tempo: Daniel Vettori
From the three T20Is, Pant managed to score just 32 runs against New Zealand. The keeper-batter has been rested for the Test match series against the same opposition. However, the side will be hoping to witness a powerful batting show from their star player in the South Africa tour.
In the T20 World Cup 2021, he fetched in some crucial runs but wasn’t at his usual best. Vettori shed light on these points and asserted that team India has quite a few potential names who can replace Pant if he doesn’t find his rhythm back.
“I will be surprised if they (team management) don’t talk long and hard about what they expect from him (Pant). I think the onus is on him (Pant) to find the right tempo and the reality is if he doesn’t, they can look elsewhere. They look to Ishan Kishan and also know KL (Rahul) can keep as well in T20Is. I think they will give Pant the opportunity to find his rhythm, knowing that they can change pretty quickly as well,” said Vettori.
