Former Australian Opener Matthew Hayden feels that Rishabh Pant’s absence will be a huge blow for the Indian team ahead of the all-important World Test Championship final against Australia starting on June 7 at the Oval. The 25-year-old is out of action as he recovers from his near-fatal accident in December 2022.
Rishabh Pant recently underwent knee surgery, which has reportedly put him out for at least one year and he has been one of the best players for India against Australia as he amassed 624 runs in 7 Tests, averaging 62.4. In his absence, India has named Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat as two wicketkeepers for the World Test Championship final in England.
Speaking to PTI ahead of the high-stakes final, Matthew Hayden reckons that Rishabh Pant will huge miss for the Men in Blue and feels that Indian management should go with Ishan Kishan for the one-off test as he got the swag in his batting to take on the bowlers.
“One of the big losses to Indian cricket right now is Rishabh Pant. If I was an Indian selector, I certainly go with the more dynamic wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan, he also adds that bit of swagger to the batting lineup and in the fielding unit as well,” Matthew Hayden said.
Pant has been one of India’s most successful batters in this format for the last three or four years. The left-hander was India’s leading run-scorer in Tests last year where the Delhi wicketkeeper batter has already reached legendary status.
For the finals against Australia in all likelihood, India would go with KS Bharat as the gloveman for the team, since Ishan Kishan hasn’t made his debut in red-ball cricket for India.
It’s Great To Have Cameron Green In Form – Matthew Hayden
”What works for India is two spinners. It doesn’t work for Australia, apart from the outrageous turners that we saw in India during the Border-Gavaskar trophy,” Hayden said.
The Cricketer-turned-commentator feels that Australia would go with their traditional playing 11 of going with three pacers and Cameron Green as a fast bowling all-rounder alongside the star spinner Nathan Lyon for the grand event in the final and reckons that Mumbai Indians all-rounder will play a key role for Australia in the WTC final.
”I know the Australian combination will always want to have three quicks. Obviously, Nathan Lyon is our spinner and Cameron Green can play as an all-rounder. I mean, that’s, that’s how important Cameron Green is. That’s a powerful and important role that he plays as an all-rounder. So it’s great to have him in form,” Matthew Hayden added.
Matthew Hayden will be part of the commentary box for the World Test Championship final alongside Ricky Ponting, Sunil Gavaskar, Dinesh Karthik, and Ravi Shastri.