Rishabh Pant has been in fine form in T20 2018 and his exclusion for the England and Ireland tour raises quite a few questions
Rishabh Pant. Pic/AFP
ADVERTISEMENT
Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and you never know what will happen next? Indian cricket is filled with talent and not everyone can play for India and when you have someone like Mahendra Singh Dhoni (recently in tremendous form), it gets difficult to get a look in the side and that’s what has happened to Delhi’s Rishabh Pant.
Rishabh Pant in T20 2018 has been in rich form (582 runs-12 matches) and recently scored the highest score by an Indian in T20 cricket (128 vs Hyderabad). The lad from Delhi is playing with freedom and confidence despite being part of Delhi franchise (No 8 in the points table, already out of the tournament) and that makes his effort that much more remarkable. Pant this season has valued his wicket very dearly and has shown great temperament and has batted with maturity, which was missing earlier in his game.
Indian selectors, while choosing the squad for England and Ireland tour, didn't select Rishabh Pant and this decision may have hurt him as non-selection has raised quite a few questions. But, to be fair to the selectors, the squad already has MS Dhoni. Moreso, when Rishabh Pant had his chances for India, he didn’t set the stage alight with his performances (Nidahas T20 tri-series).
Rishabh Pant is only 20 years of age and his time will definitely come in the near future. He must concentrate on his game and not worry about external factors. Rishabh Pant’s record in first-class cricket (Ranji Trophy cricket) is good (1,555 runs; 53.62 average) and if he keeps working hard at his game. It will be just a matter of time before he becomes India's regular cricketer.
Also read: In Battle Of Delhi Boys, Virat Kohli Upstages Rishabh Pant As Bangalore Stay Alive In T20 2018
Catch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates