NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant’s struggles as Lucknow Super Giants captain continued after yet another heavy loss, this time against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Super Over. LSG failed to chase down 156, adding to a worrying run of five straight defeats this season. Their home record is even worse, having lost eight in a row since last year under Pant. LSG have lost 14 of their last 22 games under Pant.Former India batsman Wasim Jaffer believes a change in management could help the team turn around. He suggested that Aiden Markram should take over as captain and even set a preferred batting order for the side.
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Bombay Sport Exchange: Munaf Patel on Gautam Gambhir, Virat vs Bumrah and Indian bowling.Pant’s captaincy struggles were reflected in his batting as well. Since last season, he has scored just 458 runs in 21 innings, with only three half-centuries. Even in the last game, his 42 was not enough to lead the team home.Jaffer feels Pant’s natural attacking game is affected by the added responsibility. “I feel a player like Rishabh Pant should play purely as a player. You get the best out of him if you cut him loose and tell him to just go out and play and win matches on his own. Don’t burden him with captaincy. I think Aiden Markram is a better captain,” Jaffer said on his YouTube channel. “He has led South Africa very successfully, he is mentally strong, very composed and I think he can get the best out of other players. But this does not look like something that will actually happen. This is just my suggestion, but if I was there, I would do it.”Jaffer did not hold back in evaluating the overall performance of the team.“LSG look completely out of sorts at the moment, it’s hard to even know what to expect from them. If I was in the dugout, the first thing I’d do would be to make Aiden Markram captain… That’d be my number seven and I’d go with that batting order,” he said.
