Rishabh Pant forced his way into the Indian team post his belligerent show in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The joint highest run-scorer in the tournament scored 411 runs, which also included fastest ever century in T20 cricket by an Indian batsman which came off just 32 deliveries.
He got his chance, but two poor outings saw him getting dropped from the playing XI. He scored 23 in the first game while could manage seven runs in the second contest.
He looked a different batsman, as he was trying to defend rather than playing his shots, a separate site for a batsman like him,
“See it is part and parcel of the game. At times you do really well and at others, maybe just good. I am just working hard on my game and trying to perform the way I did last year,” he said.
He further revealed he had an interaction with Ravi Shastri, team India’s Had Coach as well,
“I had a great interaction with Ravi Shastri, and the team atmosphere was also very good. I learnt a lot from my failures. I will try and come back stronger. Also, I have worked on my skill and fitness, and I have also spoken to my coach Tarak Sinha at length. I am trying to implement all that in my game.”
A good show in the IPL season can see him retaining his place in the side.
Since Indian team is all set to play two T20Is against Ireland followed by three T20Is against England, he will always be in contention.
However, he will have to score heavily in the IPL to keep his spot. A good performance can also see him getting a chance for India A for England tour.
In short, the upcoming IPL season will be the final test for him or else; he will have to wait for next season to present his case for national selection.
Meanwhile, Delhi Daredevils have kicked off their preparatory camp for IPL 2018. The preparations are in full swing with Ricky Ponting, team’s Head Coach, also joining the camp.
Gautam Gambhir will play his first game for Delhi Daredevils after eight years. He will also lead the side in IPL 2018.
There were reports that he wanted to play for Delhi Daredevils before retiring and the franchise purchased him for Rs 2.80 Crore in the IPL auction.
Delhi Daredevils face Kings XI Punjab in their first game of the season in Mohali.