IND vs SA: I Don't Think Rishabh Pant Is Deciding The Batting Order - Aakash Chopra

Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra believes stand-in skipper Rishabh Pant is not the one to decide the batting order but head coach Rahul Dravid takes the call in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa.

India lost the first T20I match by seven wickets despite a terrific display with the bat in the first innings. Opener Ishan Kishan was the wrecker-in-chief in the hammering, scoring a blistering 48-ball 76, including 11 fours and three sixes, striking over 158. The southpaw smashed South African spinner Keshav Maharaj for 20 runs in four deliveries before holing out to Tristan Stubbs at long-on.

Shreyas Iyer, at No.3, and Pant at No.4, made some vital contributions with 36 and 29 respectively before Hardik Pandya, batting at No.5, blazed 31 off 12 balls, pummelling two fours and three sixes, batting at a strike rate of 258.33. Dinesh Karthik walked in to bat No.6 but faced only two balls as India posted 211/4.

Rishabh Pant is a different type of a captain: Aakash Chopra

Pant has been leading Delhi Capitals for the last two years in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In IPL 2022, Pant didn’t bowl Kuldeep Yadav’s full quota of overs even though the bowler would pick wickets consistently. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter had explained that the ball was wet and hence he didn’t go for Kuldeep but preferred a pace bowler.

“Rishabh Pant does try to think out of the box at times. We’ve seen that he’s not given Kuldeep Yadav his four overs in the IPL, even when he had taken four wickets from his first three.

“This has not just happened once, but on several occasions. He is a different type of a captain. As far as the batting order is concerned, I don’t think Rishabh Pant is the one deciding it. Rahul Dravid would be doing that,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

It was a strange over – Aakash Chopra on Hardik Pandya vs Dwaine Pretorius

Hardik bowled just one over in the match and was clobbered for three sixes by Dwaine Pretorius in the fifth over. Thereafter Hardik wasn’t asked to roll his arms in the game.

“We missed Hardik Pandya. He is a gun player and he showed what he can do. While he gave away 18 runs from his over, he did beat the batter on three occasions. It was a strange over. Dwaine Pretorius had come out to attack, and he wasn’t scared of getting out,” Chopra said. 

India will play South Africa in the second T20I match on Sunday (June 12) at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Match Preview – South Africa Tour of India 2022, 2nd T20I