Wasim Jaffer feels that Rishabh Pant can’t be a certainty in the T20I side with

Former Indian Opener Wasim Jaffer feels that Rishabh Pant needs to start performing consistently to be a certainty in the T20I side. The keeper-batter was appointed the captain of the team for the ongoing series after KL Rahul suffered a groin injury. Pant has struggled in the series so far with scores of 29, 5 and 6 so far in the three games.

Jaffer emphasised the fact that India have many options for a wicketkeeper batter at the moment. While KL Rahul is certain to make a comeback, Dinesh Karthik has been decent in this series so far. Ishan Kishan has performed consistently as well. Thus, the competition has certainly increased. Pant has scored 723 runs at an average of 23.32 in 46 games in his career striking at 126.18. The wicketkeeper has not done justice to his talent with such numbers in the shortest format in international cricket.

“You’ve got KL Rahul. Once he comes back, he walks into the side. He’s a wicketkeeper as well. If Dinesh Karthik is certain to play, then again, he is also a wicketkeeper. So, I am not too sure. The way Rishabh Pant has played recently, I won’t call him a certainty,” Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo.

“I think he still needs to score runs and score them pretty consistently. He hasn’t done that in the Indian T20 League. He hasn’t done it in many T20Is. I’ve said that many times – the way he has played in Test cricket, the way he has played in quite a few ODI innings as well, he hasn’t done that in T20Is. So, I won’t say that Rishabh Pant is a certainty for me (in T20Is) going forward,” he added.

As India takes the field today at 7:00 PM at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot for the fourth T20I against South Africa, all eyes will be on Rishabh Pant and his performance with the bat. With the 20-20 world cup just four months away, Pant would be keen to get some runs under his belt.