Rishabh Pant needs to be used where he is not left in two minds: Zaheer Khan

There’s no doubt that Rishabh Pant has truckloads of potential up his sleeves. And it’s not a surprise that he has been seen as a successor of MS Dhoni, who is at the twilight of his career. After making his debut in 2017, he became a regular member of the Indian team from the Nottingham Test last year. In the same year, he made his ODI debut at home versus the West Indies.

The southpaw also had the privilege of playing in the 2019 edition of the World Cup where he came in as Shikhar Dhawan’s replacement. However, the major issues Pant has faced over the time being are his shot selection and churning out decent knocks on the consistent basis. In ODI and T20I cricket, the Uttarakhand-born averages in the low 20s and he has faced a lot of criticism.

Rishabh Pant’s natural style is to attack, says Zaheer

In the meantime, Zaheer Khan, the former Indian cricketer, opined on Pant and how the youngster should be used by the team management in the batting lineup. As per the retired speedster, Pant shouldn’t be thrown in at a position where he’s in two minds. Zaheer feels that Pant’s natural instinct is to attack and he should be given the freedom to play his game.

“The team management should try and use him where you get the best out of him. I think his natural style is to attack. So, he needs to be used where he is not left in two minds, where he knows the only thing he needs to do is the attack. If he is used in such situations, it would be good for him,” Zaheer was quoted as saying in an interview with India Today.

Following the World Cup, he played the limited-overs series in the Caribbean where his only substantial knock was the half-century he got in the third T20I at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. Apart from that, he was guilty of throwing his wicket away through loose strokes on a regular basis.

The 21-year-old flattered to deceive even in the home T20I series against South Africa. In the two encounters, Pant could only manage 23 runs and in both instances, he got out, trying to take the aerial route. He is next set to play the three-match T20I series versus the Proteas, starting October 2.

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