IPL 2021: My Advice To Rishabh Pant Is To Play With Freedom - Brian Lara

Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has advised Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant to play his natural game, attack the bowlers and bat like he’s known to, when he turns up against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday Sharjah for Qualifier 2.

Rishabh Pant has scored 413 runs so far in IPL 2021, and averages 37.55 with the bat, and has raised three half-centuries. But those runs have come at a strike rate of 129.

DC lost to CSK in Qualifier 1. Pant scored 51 runs off 35 balls, striking at 145, which is how Brian Lara hopes the youngster continues to bat versus KKR as well.

“My advice to Rishabh Pant is to play with freedom, have that air of arrogance and confidence – that he does when he’s at his best like he did in that last game against CSK, those one-handed sixes. He’s absolutely crazy, the skills that he’s got, and for me, the advice would be to go out and have that confidence,” Brian Lara said on Star Sports.

Don’t allow the situations and the leadership role dictate how you play: Brian Lara

Brian Lara further asserted that the 24-year-old shouldn’t allow the load of his captaincy on his batting. He reckons the “match-winner” in Pant has to “take the game on” and dominate the opposition bowlers irrespective of the game situation.

“Don’t allow the situations and the leadership role dictate how you play. You go out and play with freedom – take the game on. If you feel that you can target a bowler, then you fully commit to it and take him on – because he is a match-winner. He can take the game away from the opposition very quickly – and everyone wants to see that, the team wants to see that and him as a leader wants to see that as well,” the commentator further added.

Pant led the Capitals to the top of the points table during the league phase winnings 10 matches. However, the team has lost their last two matches – to RCB and CSK – and now, face KKR in a knockout encounter.

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