table of contents
It was only a few years ago that Rishabh Pant was touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket. He was called the X-factor or game-changer for his tremendous batting style.
From hoardings and cutouts to advertisements and promotions, Rishabh Pant was everywhere; He was riding high. Team India is currently in England for 5-match T20 series and 3-match ODI series. But where is Rishabh now?
Is Rishabh Pant eligible to play in ODI?
Rishabh is nowhere near the national team at the moment, as he has been dropped from all white-ball formats. Former Team India cricketer, now commentator and cricket expert, Aakash Chopra has predicted that Rishabh will have to work hard to regain his place in T20Is and ODIs.
The former batsman said on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, “Rishabh Pant is an excellent cricketer. He is a match-winner, a game-changer and an X-factor in red-ball cricket, but in white-ball cricket he has to earn his stripes. A bit is going wrong in ODI cricket because he did not get enough chances and yet you dropped him.”
Aakash Chopra says playing conditions are no excuse
In this YouTube video, Chopra argues that the keeper-batsman deserves to be selected for the ODI format, as he has done nothing wrong. While the team management chose Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan as keeper-batsmen for the T20Is in the UK tour, KL Rahul and Ishan will later remain with the team for the ODI matches against England.
Many believe that the conditions in England are not suitable for Rishabh’s batting style. Aakash Chopra said that there is not much difference between the playing conditions in England and the playing combinations in India.
Chopra said, “To be honest, the conditions are not very difficult these days. There is a slight difference. In India, 220 runs are being scored on very flat pitches and here (England) too, 190 runs are being scored and in ODI cricket, more than 270 runs are being scored. So I don’t think the conditions are that different.”
The left-handed batsman faced consistent poor performance in the Indian Premier League, which could have cost him his selection. Chopra said that due to poor performance in the IPL season, Rishabh Pant is currently far away from the T20 team.
He said, “He is nowhere near this in T20 cricket. It has been many seasons since he has been a rockstar in the IPL. Unless these things change, I don’t think you will see Rishabh Pant’s name around in white-ball cricket as well.”
There are many talents available to replace Rishabh Pant
The increased number of talents has also become a hindrance for Rishabh. Chopra says that only a few years ago the team management had to depend on Rishabh Pant because there was no other option other than KL Rahul. The current scenario is different. Many other keeper-batsmen have claimed the rank and are either playing for Team India or waiting for their turn.
“You can’t even blame the selectors because there are so many options now. If we had asked the same thing five years ago, we would have said what if Rishabh was not there, because we would have had to keep KL Rahul. Today, there are Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, and Dhruv Jurel is behind them,” highlighted Aakash Chopra.