“My T20I numbers are not great”: Rishabh Pant desirous of opening in T20Is before avowing unfulfilled career thus far

It was wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant’s turn to chat with the broadcaster before the delayed start of the ongoing third ODI between New Zealand and India in Christchurch.

Pant, who was chatting with an umbrella over his head, found himself in the conversation primarily due to rain delaying the toss by some 10 minutes. While the match has started for now, weather forecast over the Hagley Oval has it in it to cause more delays as the match progresses.

“We didn’t think it [weather] would be this bad [on this tour]. It rains only on match days but we can’t do much,” Pant told Prime Video during a pre-match interaction conducted by a seasoned campaigner in Harsha Bhogle.

ALSO READ: Rishabh Pant jokes with Harsha Bhogle over stump mic commentary

India, who refrained from making changes to their Playing XI for a series-decider, have been asked to bat first by New Zealand captain Kane Williamson for the third time in a row.

Rishabh Pant desirous of top order spot in T20Is before avowing unfulfilled career thus far

Quite an honest conversation further witnessed Pant speaking his heart out about his preferred batting position across formats. Having said that, the left-handed batter didn’t forget to follow his desire with a disclaimer around “wherever the team wants him to bat”.

“I would choose to open [the batting] in T20Is, number 4-5 in ODIs and, in Tests, I’m batting at 5. The game plan changes when you’re batting lower down the order but at the same time you have to bat where the team wants you to,” Pant added.

Pant, who has opened the batting for India in the shortest format on five occasions, has scored only 71 runs at an average and strike rate of 14.20 and 126.53 respectively.

Overall, as an opener in 21 T20 innings, Pant has scored 644 runs at an average and strike rate of 32.20 and 162.21 respectively including a century and five half-centuries. With him publicly yearning for the top position in T20Is, it will be interesting to see if he performs the same role for Delhi Capitals in Indian Premier League 2023.

Pant, who admitted to not feeling the need to premeditate in ODIs and Tests, distanced himself from making any sort of comparisons with any former or current cricketer or even with his own potential for that matter. Pant, however, was aware that he needs to improve his T20I record.

“I don’t look at numbers. Yes, my T20I numbers are not great but I’m still 24-25 [25] and there’s no time to compare,” Pant mentioned. While Pant’s performance in his last 10 T20I innings is certainly below par, he was fared exceedingly well in ODIs scoring 404 runs in his last 10 innings at an average and strike rate of 44.88 and 102.53 with the help of a century and three half-centuries.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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