'India won last time because of him only' - Sunil Gavaskar has his say on Rishabh Pant's performance in BGT 2024-25

India ended up on the wrong end of the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as they ended up conceding the series after almost a decade, losing by a 3-1 margin. Rishabh Pant ended up as his side's fourth-highest run-scorer with 255 runs in nine innings, however, the recent series was much different than the stunning time he had in 2020-21.

During a recent discussion, former Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar credited Pant's performances in the 2020-21 edition of the tour Down Under. However, he felt that the wicketkeeper-batter failed to deliver this time.

"Yes, in the last tour that happened in 2020-21, he was the biggest difference. The way he batted in Sydney and Gabba, the Indian team was able to win the last series because of him only. The way he kept the Australian bowlers on the backfoot in Sydney and then in Brisbane, the expectations will definitely be there because if he has scored runs on such pitches. The thinking was that once he returned there, he should have scored good runs," stated Gavaskar during a discussion on Star Sports.

I am thinking about recovery as a wicketkeeper-batter: Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan defended Pant's performances by justifying that he performed his best considering he was coming off a long layoff due to injury. He also stated that India should prefer to bat Pant at No. 6 instead of  No. 5, especially in Tests away from home.

"You will also have to see that he returned from injury after a very long time. After that, he is playing Test cricket in Australia and we are expecting him to play like that only," noted Irfan.

"The difference between coming to No. 5 from No. 6 on such pitches is that if you bat after keeping for 100 overs and two wickets fall early, which were consistently falling, you don't have time for recovery. That's why there was a discussion about whether Rishabh Pant should bat at No. 6 only, especially in overseas conditions. It's not only about technique; he has the technique. He put his body on the line in the first innings and in the second innings (in Sydney), he sent the ball over the line. He has the perfect game for No. 5, but I am thinking about recovery as a wicketkeeper-batter," he reasoned.  

Also Read: 'The star culture has to end'- Sunil Gavaskar wants players to be fully committed to Indian cricket

The next red-ball assignment for India will be the five-game series against England after the Champions Trophy and the Indian Premier League. It will be interesting to see which position Pant occupies during that tour.