Jonny Bairstow's best has come as an opener, PBKS must play him there: Deep Dasgupta

The Englishman Jonny Bairstow has been a successful player across all the formats of the game. He made his debut in IPL 2019 for Sunrisers Hyderabad and was a breakthrough success with 445 runs, and then followed it up with 345 runs in the subsequent edition. In the 2021 season, he scored 248 runs in seven innings. With these performances, he earned a contract from Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 2022 auction.

Former Indian cricketers Lalchand Rajput and Deep Dasgupta opined on Bairstow’s form in the ongoing season. Rajput thinks the aggressive batter was in great form in the last season in the limited opportunities he got. He further felt that Bairstow is not in his best form due to the pressure of performing well in a tournament like IPL. The Englishman has scored only 79 runs in six innings this season.

Rajput further added that Bairstow is curbing his natural instinct while trying to take the responsibility for the team, which is affecting his game. He thinks if the batter stays at the crease for at least 10-12 overs, it will certainly make a big difference on the team’s score.

“Last year, he was in tremendous form and scored runs in every innings. But as we say every cricketer goes through a bad patch, but I think the T20 format allows you to play freely and express yourselves. IPL is one of the biggest tournaments in the world and there is a lot of pressure on you as a player. In the first two games, if you don’t perform, the pressure keeps on adding, which is happening with Bairstow,” said Rajput on Sky247.net presents ‘Not Just Cricket’ Show on CricTracker.

“This year he is not playing freely and curbing his natural instinct. If he bats 10-12 overs, he will be a different batsman altogether, but he has to have the perfect aggression and caution,” Rajput added.

Opening position is ideal for Jonny Bairstow: Deep Dasgupta

Dasgupta reckoned that the best knocks of Bairstow have come when he has batted at the opening slot. He then mentioned that Bairstow has been in good form, as he was the second-highest run-scorer for the England team in the recent Test series against West Indies. The former cricketer further added that Bairstow can open with Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal should come at number three.

“His best T20 knocks have come when he has opened the innings. In the last season, he opened as well. He is in good form, and he hit a Test hundred against West Indies ahead of the tournament as well. But I don’t know the number three or four is not an ideal position for Bairstow. But I don’t know if the number three or four is an ideal position for Bairstow. I will not mind if he opens [the innings] with Dhawan and Mayank at number three.

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