Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant during the warm-up session. (NOT a photo) NEW DELHI: Former India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has admitted he finds it “very surprising” that Rishabh Pant has not been able to dominate the IPL the way he has conquered Test cricket, saying the keeper-batsman’s T20 numbers do not reflect his immense talent.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Speaking as an expert on CTV’s JioHotstar Hindi feed, Pujara said that Pant remains one of the best in all formats in the country, but believes clarity of thought and mental issues may hold him back in T20 cricket.“I am also very surprised because someone like Rishabh Pant who can attack any bowler in Test cricket and his IPL, if we just look at the stats, it is not as good as in Test cricket,” Pujara said during an interaction with reporters on Wednesday.
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Justin Langer finds positives in LSG defeat, praises Nicholas Pooran and backs Rishabh PantPant’s contrast between formats is increasingly becoming a topic of discussion. While he remains India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in Tests, he is no longer part of the T20I set-up and is currently behind KL Rahul in the ODI pecking order.In 49 Tests, Pant scored 3476 runs with eight centuries and 18 fifties, including memorable hundreds in England, Australia and South Africa. In comparison, his IPL numbers – 3757 runs in 134 matches at a strike rate of 146 with two centuries – are considered modest in terms of his reputation.
“It’s more about mindset than technique”
Pujara insisted that Pant does not require major technical changes but needs more clarity in his approach during T20 innings.“I think it’s also a mindset thing. There has to be more clarity in the way Rishabh plays,” explained Pujara.“Technically, I don’t see many changes that are needed in Rishabh’s batting. It’s just a mind set.”According to Pujar, Pant looks much more confident about his scoring areas in Test cricket than in T20.“It’s also the clarity of thought, the clarity of what he has to do when he goes to bat and the kind of shots he should be playing because in Test cricket he knows these are his areas and even when the pitch is held on the edge, he still picks the right pockets to hit the shots,” he said.The veteran batsman also pointed to possible limitations in Pant’s white-ball game.“In the T20 format, he is a bit more dominant on the leg side, where he will have to work on his off-field play, which will allow him to be even more successful,” Pujara added.
Captain’s burden affecting Pant?
Pujara also questioned whether the pressure of captaincy could affect Pant’s performances in the IPL.“We saw that the captaincy didn’t help him much,” Pujara said. “Especially in the case of Rishabh Pant, if he focuses more on his game, it will definitely help him.However, Pujara maintained that the final decision rests with Pant and the franchise management.“If Rishabh Pant plays as a player, will his performance improve? If so, then I’m sure he should, but it’s always a personal thing,” he added.Pujara also defended Suryakumar Yadav amid criticism over inconsistency in T20 cricket, saying impact matters more than stats in the format.“Consistency is overrated in the T20 format,” Pujara said.
