Sourav Ganguly not impressed with Pant’s shot selection, suggests a better approach

He was batting well with senior partner Dinesh Karthik while chasing the steep target of 174 in 17 overs in the first T20I against Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane, on Wednesday evening. The duo added 51 runs in less than five overs and was just a strike or two away from taking their side to safety when disaster struck. On the third delivery of the 16th over, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant tried a reverse scoop against pacer Andrew Tye and went straight into the sky only to bring the batsman’s downfall.

The young wicket-keeper’s (20 off 16; 1 four; 1 six) dismissal was a game-changing moment and India could not keep up the momentum, eventually losing the game by four runs by the DLS Method. It was for the second time in recent history that Pant got out playing a reverse scoop and former India captain Sourav Ganguly has come with a advice for the man who has impressed in his short international career so far.

Pant’s shot did not have any value

Ganguly, who captained India the last time they returned unbeaten from Australia in Tests, asked the 21-year-old to focus on his shot selection and not manufacture shots that only invite danger. Speaking to IndiaTV, the 46-year-old former southpaw said: “Rishabh Pant could’ve won the match for India with Dinesh Karthik. The way he was batting with Karthik and took the match close for India, the shot didn’t have any value.”

Pant and Karthik (30 off 13) took over after opener Shikhar Dhawan (76 off 42) got out after giving India a good launching pad. India’s two big guns – captain Virat Kohli (4) and vice-captain Rohit Sharma (4) failed to fire in this match as the visitors tasted their first loss in a T20I on Australian soil since 2011-12.

Ganguly also said the team management should talk to Pant and ask to refrain from playing risky shots and use the bat straight. He said Pant is not in bad form but make use of his ability and power to hit straight.

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