Former Indian Cricketer feels Rishabh Pant could be match-winner in T20Is if played in right position

Rishabh Pant (Source: Twitter)

India failed to cross yet another semi-final in a World event as they came crashing down due to a 10-wicket loss that they suffered at the hands of England. India’s selection choices were questioned, which included the likes of Rishabh Pant, who was not given enough opportunities to bat in the 20-20 World Cup.

Dinesh Karthik was preferred over the attacking left-handed batter, and even then the move did not deliver good results for India. Now, Robin Uthappa has come up with a solution concerning Pant’s batting position in T20 cricket. He has suggested, based on his impressive Indian T20 League record, Pant should either open the innings or bat at the top of the order.

Rishabh Pant should bat in the top 3:  Robin Uthappa

This is what Uthappa had to say on Pant, "The next (T20) World Cup is in two years' time. So keeping the conditions there in mind, I feel Rishabh Pant should bat in the top 3. If you look at his Indian T20 League records, his best performances have come when he has opened or when he has batted at No. 3. So, you have to give him the opportunity to become a match-winner in that position. I think Dinesh Karthik might not play for India again. So you can groom the likes of Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda for the finisher's role. Umran Malik is a bowler who can definitely play,"

Pant, though, has not had the best of numbers in T20I cricket where he has scored only 970 runs in five years in 64 matches. His average is very low at 23.09. He only has three half-centuries in the shortest format of the game to his credit, and his strike rate also is not noteworthy as he strikes at 127.12.

In contrast, when he plays for the Delhi side in the Indian T20 League, he has scored 2338 in five years at an average of 34.60 and a strike rate of 147.96. If we compare the international matches and the Indian T20 League records, we see that he is way better in the Indian T20 League than when he dons the India jersey.