3 reasons why Rishabh Pant should be backed for the T20 World Cup despite a quiet Asia Cup

Team India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant had an extremely poor Asia Cup 2022 campaign. Surprisingly dropped for the first match of the competition against arch-rivals Pakistan, he was preferred over Dinesh Karthik after Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out due to injury. The logic behind it was to have a left-hander in the middle order.

Pant could not capitalize on his chances though. The 24-year-old looked completely out of sorts, registering scores of 14, 17, and 20 not out. While the southpaw has an excellent Test record, he has failed to replicate the success in limited overs formats. He raised hopes by cracking his maiden ODI century during the tour of England, but it was the same old story in the Asia Cup.

The young keeper-batter has now featured in 58 T20Is, scoring 934 runs at an average of 23.94 and a strike rate of 126.21. While some cricket experts feel that Pant should not be part of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia, we analyze three reasons why he should be backed for the ICC event despite a quiet Asia Cup.

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#1 Pant's success in Australia

Rishabh Pant during the Test series in Australia. Pic: Getty Images

Not in T20Is, but Pant is a proven match-winner as a batter. He has scored runs under the toughest of circumstances and in the most challenging of environments for batters. Pant has five Test hundreds to his name, four of them in overseas conditions - two in England, one in Australia and one in South Africa.

Although in a different format, Pant was one of India’s heroes during the team’s Test triumph Down Under during their previous visit to Australia. His counter-attacking 97 in Sydney gave the Aussies a real scare. Pant went one step ahead in Brisbane with an unbeaten 89 as India breached Australia’s fortress.

The youngster returned from the tour with his reputation enhanced. He will carry confidence from his previous visit to Australia if he is picked for the T20 World Cup. Of course, he will have a lot to prove. But given what the batter achieved during the Test series in 2020-21, the selectors might be tempted to include him in the T20 World Cup squad.

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#2 His X factor

The maverick batter attempting a reverse sweep. Pic: Getty Images

X factor is often an overrated virtue. People end up terming cricketers as X factor players after a couple of breathtaking performances, without waiting to see whether he can maintain that consistency over a longer period of time. Pant, however, does not fall into that category. He has proved to be an X factor player on a number of occasions for India.

It began with his Test century in the Oval Test of 2018, followed by a cracking 159* in Sydney at the start of the next year. Be it his hundred against England on a tough surface in Ahmedabad or his three-figure score in Cape Town earlier this year, the list just keeps growing.

Pant had a terrific tour of England, where he smashed the bowlers en route to a superb hundred in the Birmingham Test, albeit in a losing cause. The biggest takeaway from the tour, however, was the left-hander’s knock in the deciding ODI. There have been constant comparisons between his Test and white-ball numbers, and Pant has proved that he can deliver in limited overs cricket.

The batter reined in his aggressive instincts for most of his innings as India were in trouble chasing 260. He was solid in defense, but broke free and struck some brutal boundaries once the result of the match became a certainty. Few players can switch between defending and attacking so swiftly. Yet again, Pant proved that he is a one-of-a-kind-player.

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#3 We need an attacking left-hander in the middle order

Rishabh Pant batting during the 3rd ODI against England. Pic: Getty Images

This is another reason why selectors might want to pick Pant in the T20 World Cup squad, even if Karthik remains the first-choice keeper-batter. If we look at India’s top and middle order, there is no left-hander in the line-up (assuming Jadeja is ruled out). The Men in Blue are likely to open with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya are also certainties in the middle-order.

While it is true that having good quality batters is more significant than the left-right combination, the tactical advantage of having a southpaw in the batting line-up cannot be completely ignored.

We saw how Jadeja disrupted Pakistan’s plans after being promoted to No. 4 in the Asia Cup. Babar Azam’s men returned the favor by promoting Mohammad Nawaz when the teams met in the Super 4 round of the tournament.

A left-hander can tackle leg-spinners more efficiently as compared to right-handers. Of course, it is important for the batter to score runs as well. Pant’s form will cause a dilemma for selectors with regards to picking the T20 World Cup squad. However, it will be a big surprise if he is left out of the team for the ICC event.

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