Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting, two legendary cricketers, have expressed their belief that Rishabh Pant should be included in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Their assessment is based on Pant’s impressive performances in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
“Yes, I think so, Pant should be part of the World Cup squad,” Ganguly stated at a media roundtable. “He should bat in the middle-order. Where exactly is difficult to say because of match-ups, right-left combinations depending on who bowls. It also depends on the situation.”
Ponting echoed Ganguly’s sentiments, noting that Pant has shown significant improvement throughout the IPL season. “He’s starting to get a bit more trust and belief in his body as well,” Ponting said. “I think early on he had been a little bit apprehensive as to what he could do, especially with the wicketkeeping side of it. With his batting, coming into the tournament, he had pretty good trust in his abilities.”
Pant, who returned to competitive cricket after a 15-month layoff due to a car crash, has amassed 254 runs in eight innings at an impressive strike rate of 150.29. He has predominantly batted in the middle order and has kept wickets in every game.
However, Pant faces competition for a spot in the squad from Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, and Jitesh Sharma. Additionally, Dinesh Karthik has also staked his claim with some exceptional performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Another key question for the Indian selectors is the opening combination. Rohit Sharma is expected to open, but the identity of his partner remains uncertain. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the incumbent, but his recent form has been underwhelming.
Ganguly believes that India should adopt an aggressive approach at the T20 World Cup, similar to the one employed by Rohit Sharma in the 50-over World Cup. “They have the talent to do that,” Ganguly said. “We saw how Rohit batted at the 50-overs World Cup. He just came and hit from ball one and we were able to put so much pressure on the opposition in the first seven-eight overs. It gave breathing space for the lower order.”
Ganguly also commented on KL Rahul’s struggles in T20 cricket, suggesting that he needs to find a method that suits his abilities. “I think it depends on what the captain and the coach instruct him to do in the middle,” Ganguly said. “The other day I saw him play an innings against Chennai [Super Kings], which Lucknow [Super Giants] won. I thought he was exceptional. He played well at the top of the order and did exactly that was required to do.”
