'He hasn’t learned' - Sunil Gavaskar bashes Rishabh Pant over similar mode of dismissals

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar slammed stand-in skipper Rishabh Pant for continuously getting dismissed in the same way against South Africa in the ongoing series. The Proteas have been bowling wide outside the off-stump, tempting Pant to have a swing but the left-hander has not been able to get his weight behind the shots.

In the fourth T20I, Pant yet again struggled in his 23-ball 17, which comprised two fours and did not excite the experts in the commentary panel. With scores of 5 and 6 in the previous two innings, Pant has been under the scanner for his poor returns in T20 internationals.

That’s not a good sign: Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar criticised Pant for his similar kind of dismissals and felt that the left-hander needs to curb his instincts of going for the big ones when the ball is delivered wide outside the off stump. He added that it is not a good sign for a captain to be dismissed in the same way quite a number of times.

“He hasn’t learned. He hasn’t learned from his previous three dismissals. They throw wide, and he keeps going for it. He can’t throw enough muscle on that. He has got to stop looking to go aerial that far outside the off-stump. There is no way he’s going to get enough on it. It has gone to short-third! They all plan it, South African bowlers and Temba Bavuma just bowl wide outside the off-stump and you will get him,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.

“10 times, he has been dismissed wide outside off-stump (in T20s in 2022). Some of them would’ve been called wide if he hadn’t made contact with it. Because he’s so far away, he has to reach out for it. He will never get enough power on it. To keep getting out in the same series in the same manner, for a captain of the Indian team, that’s not a good sign,” he added.