Former India pacer Ashish Nehra opined that Rishabh Pant is better suited for death overs than in the middle over. He argued that the no.4 position is too high for him as India have better options at that position.
In the second match, Rishabh Pant was sent at no.5 as he scored a blistering half-century and remained unbeaten with a knock of 28-ball 52. The left-hander added 76 runs in the final 6 overs with Venkatesh Iyer.
Nehra feels that the fewer balls he faces, the better he can express himself freely. He said that Suryakumar is a better batsman against spin who can score freely in the middle overs.
Rishabh Pant scored 28-ball 52 in the second T20I against WI
“Today, they went with the match-up. Suryakumar Yadav is good against spin, so it was good to see that he was sent at no.4. He got out but it happens,” Nehra spoke to Cricbuzz.
“We have all seen how Rishabh Pant played, the type of strokes he plays. The lesser overs he gets, the better it is. I don’t want to discuss much about his ability to hit, because we are already doing it for 3-4 years now.
“But it might take him more time to polish the ability to build the innings. So, a position in lower order is better for him. Alternatively, you send him at the top. For now, he is not a player who can play in the middle-order,” Nehra further said.
Notable that he was sent at no.4 in the first T20I and got out cheaply. The left-hander has a slightly underwhelming record in the shortest format as he scored just 683 runs in 37 innings in T20Is which included only 3 fifties.
As India wrapped up the series, he has been rested for the 3rd T20I, and also he won’t be part of the T20I series against Sri Lanka. Now he and Virat Kohli will join the team for the 2-match test series against Sri Lanka which is starting on March 4 at Mohali. The series will also be a part of the ICC World Test Championship