3 Reasons why Rishabh Pant should open in the ODI series vs Australia

Not so long ago former Australian legendary spinner Shane Warne floated the idea of India opening with Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma in the World Cup. The idea was further endorsed by cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar. Indian chief selector MSK Prasad also replied that they are looking at every option and nothing can be ruled out at the moment.

Australia are set to travel India for the limited-overs series against the in-form Team India. Amidst all the talks going around its best to try Rishabh Pant as an opener in the coming home series versus the Australian team. Will the Indian team management take a step further and try the wicketkeeper-batsman as Rohit Sharma’s opening partner?

Here are the three reasons why Rishabh Pant should open in the ODI series vs Australia

1. To Surprise the opposition

India has a settled batting lineup and the batting order is quite rigid and lacks the surprise element. In this era of technology, a lot of tactical preparation is done by every team. With an abundance of stats, every weak and strong spot of teams is discussed in detail and a lot of important decisions are made even before a ball is bowled in the game.

Now its even more important to have some surprise elements in the team to upset the opposition preparations and forcing them to make some last minute changes to their plans. To have the surprise element and flexibility in the batting order can be crucial in big tournaments like the World Cup. Forcing a slight change in the plan of the opposition in high-pressure games can cause unrest in the opposition camp and work in favor of the Indian team.