Former India pacer Ashish Nehra said that Rishabh Pant is better suited for the death overs than the middle overs. He argued that the number 4 position is too much for him as India has better options in that position.
In the second match, Rishabh Pant was sent down at No 5 as he scored a blistering half-century and remained unbeaten on 52 off 28 balls. The left-hander added 76 runs in the last 6 overs with Venkatesh Iyer.
Nehra feels that the fewer balls he faces, the better he is able to express himself freely. He said that Suryakumar is a better batsman against spin who can score runs freely in the middle overs.
Rishabh Pant scored 52 off 28 balls in the second T20I against WI
“Today, they went with the match-up. Suryakumar Yadav is good against spin, so it is good to see that he has been sent to No. 4. He gets out but it happens,” Nehra spoke to Cricbuzz.
“We all have seen how Rishabh Pant played, what type of strokes he played. The fewer overs he gets, the better he is. I don't want to talk much about his hitting ability as we have been doing it for 3-4 years already.
“But it may take more time for him to polish his innings making ability. So the position in the lower order is better for him. Alternatively, you send him at the top. For now, he is not a player who can play in the middle order,” Nehra added.
Notably, he was sent to No. 4 in the first T20I and was dismissed cheaply. The left-hander has a slightly formidable record in the shortest format as he scored just 683 runs in 37 innings in T20Is which included only 3 fifties.
He has been rested for the third T20I as soon as India concludes the series, and will also not be a part of the T20I series against Sri Lanka. He and Virat Kohli will now join the team for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka starting March 4 in Mohali. The series will also be part of the ICC World Test Championship.