India Should Invest In Rishabh Pant To Solve Their Middle-Order Problems, Says Tom Moody
Published - 09 Dec 2020, 07:27 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:38 AM
Former Australian batsman, Tom Moody opines that India should recall Rishabh Pant in the limited-overs setup and invest some time in the left-hander. His comments came after India lost the 3T20I as the men in blue fell short of Australia’s total by 12 runs.
Three players: Sanju Samson, Manish Pandey, and Shreyas Iyer were tried in the middle-order, and none of them could produce a major contribution with the bat as Hardik Pandya, and Virat Kohli did the bulk of run-scoring. Hence Moody feels that Rishabh Pant could be the answer to India’s middle-order muddle, at least in T20 cricket.
The former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach believes that Pant is one of the most destructive batsmen in the world and very few cricketers are as dynamic as the Delhi Capitals wicket-keeper. The Australian reckons that the Indian management should invest heavily in Pant.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Tom Moody said, “The concern for me is the middle order for India. I still feel that needs some addressing. I still feel that Pant for me is the answer. What he can do very few can do. So I think time to invest in him is very important.”
Rishabh Pant could be omitted from the Test side as well
Once touted as the future of Indian cricket, and compared to the likes of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, Rishabh Pant now isn’t even in the first-choice eleven as KL Rahul has replaced him as the keeper in white-ball cricket for India.
After achieving massive success in the IPL, Pant was drafted into India’s white-ball team. He was also called in as a replacement in the 2019 World Cup and played in the semi-final at number 4. However, the southpaw couldn’t replicate his IPL crescendos in international cricket, and we were left with just inconsistent glimpses of his potential.
While Pant was excluded from the limited-overs team for the Australia tour, however, he is in the squad for the 4-match Test series. The 23-year-old is the only Indian wicket-keeper to record Test hundreds in Australia and England.
Pant was picked over Wriddhiman Saha in New Zealand earlier in the year. However, Saha played as the keeper-batsman in the first practice game for India A against Australia A as Pant warms the bench.
His terrible form in the IPL also might have derailed his cause. This could well mean that Pant is overlooked from the Test eleven as well despite having success on his previous tour down under.
