India wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant’s form hasn’t been great of late as he scored only 59 runs in the first two tests in the ongoing series against South Africa. And this series is not a one-off. Earlier in England, he managed only 146 runs in 7 innings with an average of 20.85. In fact, 24-year old couldn’t cross the fifty-mark in his last 13 Test innings.
Rishabh Pant couldn’t cross the fifty-mark in his last 13 innings
Though all the focus is on the Indian middle order as Pujara, Rahane, and Kohli are struggling to get big scores and it’s a matter of time before Pant gets on the radar of critics. And it’s not just lack of runs, his way of dismissal made quite a big headlines as the wicketkeeper played a reckless shot against Rabada to get out on duck in the second innings of Johannesburg Test.
Former South Africa pacer Morne Morkel believes that another couple of failures might lead his place in danger for the final XI. However, Morkel enjoyed his verbal exchange with the proteas as the wicketkeeper batter exchanged a few words with Rassie Van der Dussen.
“For me, Pant is a quality player but I would rather let the bat do the talking at the moment than him behind the stumps. I reckon before you know, a couple of low scores and he’s going to find himself in trouble there. fighting for a spot in the team. I’m quite surprised with that,” Morkel said on Star Sports.
Morkel also pointed out that the series is quite fired up as players from both sides had some heated arguments over a couple of weeks.
“Bumrah’s response was an interesting one for me. For me, I feel that it’s the heat of the moment for fast bowlers, they bowl short to each other. It was sort of Bumrah’s response in England to Jimmy Anderson… it was sort of a remake. Also, Bumrah responding and hitting Kagiso Rabada for a six. Emotions are going to flare up every now and then. It takes an instance where they are at each other’s face,” Morkel added.
The third and final test will begin on January 11 in Cape Town.