Rishabh Pant Seems Like A Confused Brat On The Field- Aakash Chopra

Veteran Indian commentator, Aakash Chopra has fired shots at Rishabh Pant for his lacklustre performance in IPL 2020 so far. Rishabh Pant is going through one of the worst patches of his cricket career as things have not fallen in place for him after last year’s world cup. First, he was replaced by KL Rahul in the limited-overs side as the wicketkeeper-batsman of team India.

Later, when the India National Cricket Team travelled to New Zealand, Pant had a very poor outing as he warmed the bench throughout the limited-overs cricket and couldn’t do much in the Test matches. He has had a dismal IPL 2020 campaign as he has managed to score only 285 runs in 12 games at an average of 28.50. He wasn’t given a place in the Indian limited-overs contingent that is scheduled to travel to Australia this year.

Now, his critics are increasing and his performance is diminishing with every game passing by. Delhi Capitals, Rishabh Pant’s IPL franchise are now in great trouble as they have lost the Qualifier 1 to Mumbai Indians.

Aakash Chopra Lambasts Rishabh Pant

Writing in a column for ESPNCricinfo, former India batsman Aakash Chopra said that Pant may be finding it hard to figure out his role and responsibilities to his own game.

“Going back to Pant – he comes across as someone who is confused about his role and his responsibilities towards his own game. I’m not talking about what the team or the situation demands of him but just his comfort with his own style of play,” Chopra said.

“His last couple of Test matches and this edition of the IPL have brought that uncertainty to the fore. He is blessed with the ability to hit the ball long and hard, but it seems that he is unsure of the right time to do so,” he added.

Rishabh Pant Is Trying To Swim With The Tide: Aakash Chopra

Chopra said that Pant, in the ongoing season of IPL, failed to make the best of the opportunities he had because he could not realise the perfect time for him to play his natural game.

“There have been instances in this IPL where left-arm spinners have come and gone unscathed. The bowlers he wouldn’t allow to settle down in the past have kept him quiet this season because he chose to let the moment pass and wait for a better, more opportune moment,” Aakash Chopra noted.

“Pant was Pant because he could change the tide, but now he’s trying to swim with it and by the time he thinks about changing it, it’s a little too late,” Chopra wrote.

Chopra further said that Pant needs to clear the doubts about his own game and bring out those nuances which make him the player everyone thought he is.

“It’s time for Pant to clear the cobwebs and spend more time with his own game, understanding its nuances. He is the same player who everyone thought had the X-Factor, he is the same player who was seen as a natural successor to Dhoni, and he is the same player who produced consistent performances at high strike rates in T20 cricket. He is the same player because you don’t lose these skills overnight,” he wrote.

“Pant has entered the second stage of his career. This phase is about understanding and acquiring. The sooner he does that, the better for him and for Indian cricket,” Chopra signed off.

With other young Indian wicketkeeper batsmen like KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan taking the centre stage in world cricket with their recent performance, Rishabh Pant could soon find him out of the Indian national side and if he doesn’t improvise, he will be a lost name in the years to come.