Rishabh Pant has been with India for a long time but has yet to break into the T20I team. While Pant has scored hundreds against big opponents, he struggles in the shortest format.
In the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, the management started with Dinesh Karthik, and Pant was included in the last few games. With the global event over and India looking for a new start, Karthik has opened up on what could be the right batting spot for Rishabh in T20Is.
Karthik was not picked for the New Zealand tour, while Pant has made it to the squad along with Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik admitted that India have found it difficult to fit in Pant because of Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya.
“When it comes to Rishabh Pant, he has sealed his place in Test cricket and ODIs but in T20S, he bats in a different position for Delhi Capitalls and comes in a different slot in the Indian team. When you have Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, where do you fit him? The team needs a left-handed batter, but there is no place for him at the top of the order,” he said.
Karthik said that Pant is good when the field is up during the powerplay overs, and his strike rate is far better against the new ball than in the middle or death overs. He also urged the team management to stick with the southpaw despite his failures in the shortest format.