Former cricketer Wasim Jaffer suggested that India should use Rishabh Pant as an opener in the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand starting from Friday. Team India had a disappointing show in the T20 World Cup during the powerplay overs which was also one of the key reasons behind their defeat in the semifinal against England at Adelaide Oval.
Both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have been rested for the New Zealand tour which will open the doors for the management to try a new opening pair. Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan are the two designated openers selected in India’s squad but many have offered the suggestion to use Pant as an opener in the shortest format to maximise his potential while Jaffer also joined the bandwagon.
The former opener feels that if Pant bats in the top order he can get quick starts and becomes a dangerous batter.
“The best place for Pant to bat is at the top of the order,” Jaffer was quoted as saying on ESPNcricinfo.
“When fielders are up and Pant gets going at the start of the innings, he becomes a dangerous player like he bats in Tests and ODIs. Once he gets a start of 20-30, then he is dangerous. I don’t think fielders outside doesn’t matter to him,” he stated.
Jaffer pointed out that when Pant comes to bat in the middle he finds it difficult to hit big shots under the pressure.
“When he comes in at No.5, the pressure is on him and it’s difficult for him to hit sixes. Pant is the kind of player you want to give India a blistering start,” Jaffer added.
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The veteran batter further picked his India XI for the first T20I where he snubbed players like Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umran Malik.
Apart from Rohit and Rahul, Virat Kohli has also been rested for the New Zealand tour as Hardik Pandya will be leading the side..
Wasim Jaffer’s India XI for 1st T20I
Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (C), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Harshal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
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