Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant (PC-Getty Images)

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant stated on Wednesday that he prefers to bat at No.4 or 5 in ODIs and would like to open the batting in the shorter format of the game.

The left-handed hitter has struggled to get going in white-ball cricket recently, and he has received criticism on social media.

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Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant (PC-Getty Images)

The young batsman has a much better track record in Tests than in ODIs and T20 Internationals, so it will be interesting to watch how he approaches the white-ball forms in the future.

The third ODI between India and New Zealand was approaching when Pant made his remarks. For the series, the wicketkeeper-batter is serving as vice-captain.

“In T20Is, I’d like to bat first, and in ODIs, I’d prefer to bat fourth or fifth. In Tests, I only bat at No. 5. The game plan obviously changes when you bat at different places, but the coach and captain consider what is best for the team and where the player can contribute the most. I shall do my best whenever I am given the opportunity “Pant remarked ahead of the third ODI on Prime Video.

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Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant. Pic Credits: Twitter

“You don’t need to premediate much in ODIs, but you have to do it in T20s,” he continued.

“The Comparison does not make sense to me”: Rishabh Pant

Pant appeared to be irritated when questioned how he has a better Test record than the other two formats, and his reaction was: “The record, sir, is just a number. Okay, my white-ball numbers aren’t all that bad.”

Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant. Pic Credits: Twitter

When Harsha Bhogle informed out that he wasn’t calling his white-ball record “poor,” Pant responded, “Comparison does not make sense right now, I am just 24-25 years old. If you want to do the comparison, maybe do it when I am 30-32. Before that, the comparison does not make sense to me.”

As Pant noted, his ODI statistics are unquestionably respectable. He has a strike rate of 107.54 and an average of 35. He also gave India the victory in England earlier this year with an unbroken century.

His T20I performance numbers are subpar. In his 66 T20Is, the left-hander has scored runs at a strike rate of 126. The number of bats he takes could be one of the key causes of that. He frequently doesn’t receive enough balls in T20Is to have an impact.

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