At the end of the second ODI in Cuttack between India and England, the broadcaster’s camera showed Rishabh Pant sitting in dug-out for some time while Lokesh Rahul was batting at number six on the field. Rahul got preference on Pant in this match, so his batting order was surprised to come down so much.
Ravi Shastri, who was on commentary, could not stop himself from expressing his feelings to put a top -order batsman like Rahul in place of bowling all -rounder Akshar Patel. In the first two matches, Akshar was launched at number five. Many people in Indian cricket shared Shastri’s feelings and also expressed surprise that if the management is adamant on the left and right -handed batting combination formula to send the letter above Rahul, then what will happen to an explosive player like Pant. .
If you look at the results, the head coach Gautam Gambhir proves to be correct because Akshar scored 52 and an unbeaten 41 runs in the first two matches, but he came out to bat at a time when India was moving towards victory. Shastri told the broadcast ‘Star Sports’, “India must be thinking about the combination of the team in the next match and the Champions Trophy. Rishabh Pant is sitting on the bench. Some questions have to be answered.”
Rishabh Pant has scored 871 runs in 31 ODIs at an average of more than 33, which are not very good figures but the parameters of cricket have changed in the last few years. What kind of effect a player can have at any stage of the game will also have to be seen. If Rahul is being seen as a player who comes to bat after the 30th or 35th over in ODIs, then there is every possibility that Pant can have more impact from them.
Rahul has played four innings at number six in which he has scored 42 runs off 46 balls. His highest score is 31. Pant has scored 45 runs in two matches. He faced 46 balls in these two matches, with 28 runs to score the highest score. Also, attention has to be paid to whether Rahul’s batting capabilities are being fully used on number six.
Indian bowlers have not given any chance to England in both ODIs, but batsman Rahul, who scored more than 500 runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup, is coming to bat in a situation which is probably not favorable to his sports style.
A former Indian player, who has seen Gambhir’s strategies closely, told PTI on the condition of anonymity, “Gautam always looks at the needs of the team and he finds suitable on Rahul number six because it makes him left to the left hand The Akshar Akshar has scored at number five and Pant has come in a difficult situation. ” He said, “If they are considering this batting combination, it will be difficult to include them (Pant).”
Many people are surprised how Rahul, who gives his best as the fifth order in ODIs and his best as an opener, can bat below the bowling all -rounder. A former national selector said, “Rahul has performed brilliantly for India at number five. He has scored around 1300 runs (1259) and from a strike of around 100 (95.45) with a average of around 60. There are numbers and why you want to renew things. “
However, the argument for this may be that sending the letter up in the batting order has given the desired results. It is a different matter that no one knows that if India loses three wickets for 20 runs, then that day the letters are the right batsman to be sent to such a situation. So why should Rahul be sent up in batting order only in challenging circumstances and why was he not given a chance to score some easy runs like letters?
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(Tagstotranslate) Ravi Shastri (T) Axar Rajeshbhai Patel (T) Rishabh Rajendra Pant (T) Cricket (T) India
