Published: Jun 18, 2022, 03:27 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 18, 2022, 03:27 PM (IST)
Bengaluru: Indian captain Rishabh Pant has been going through a rough patch in the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa. He hasn’t been able to make any mark in the series so far and legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar revealed why Pant has struggled to make big runs in the four matches against South Africa so far.
Pant, who became captain for the series after KL Rahul’s injury, had a mediocre Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 as well. On the other hand, In the first three matches of the ongoing series, the skipper has registered the scores of 29, 5 and 6.
He got a good start in the last match but failed to convert it into a big score. He managed to score 17 runs off 23 deliveries in the last match. After the match, Gavaskar shared his opinion on Pant’s batting.
“He hasn’t learned. He hasn’t learned from his previous three dismissals. They throw wide, and he keeps going for it. He can’t throw enough muscle on that. He has got to stop looking to go aerial that far outside the off-stump,” said Gavaskar while commentating on the fourth T20I in Rajkot.
Pant got caught at the short third man in the last match while trying to slap a wide off-stump ball from left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj over the off-side. Gavaskar remarked, “There is no way he’s going to get enough on it. It has gone to short-third (man)! They all plan it, South African bowlers and Temba Bavuma… just bowl wide outside the off-stump and you will get him.”
“10 times he has been dismissed wide outside off-stump (in T20 matches this year). Some of them would have been called wide if he hadn’t made contact with it. Because he’s so far away, he has to reach out for it. He will never get enough power on it. To keep getting out in the same series in the same manner, for a captain of the Indian team, that’s not a good sign,” concluded the former opener.
The last match of the series will be played in Bengaluru on Sunday.
(With inputs from IANS)
