Team India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant once again failed to deliver in T20Is as he was dismissed for just 14 off 12 balls against Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday, September 4. The southpaw was backed to take on left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz as well as leg-spinner Shadab Khan, especially in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja.
However, the keeper-batter couldn't quite get a move on and looked uncomfortable at the crease. Virat Kohli was doing well at the other end, but the former Indian skipper didn't get the desired support from Pant. The left-handed batter tried to reverse-sweep Shadab on what would have been a wide ball and chipped it straight to the fielder at point.
Fans on Twitter trolled Pant for yet another failure and accused him of focusing on external factors rather than on-field issues. Captain Rohit Sharma also had an animated discussion with the youngster and seemed unhappy about his shot selection.
Here are some of the reactions:
Virat Kohli's responsible innings take Team India to 181-7
India got a sensational start from openers Rohit (28 off 16) and KL Rahul (28 off 20). But they also kept on losing wickets at regular intervals, especially in the middle overs. The big disappointment was the way both Suryakumar Yadav (13 off 10) and Pant threw their wickets away.
When Hardik Pandya (0 off two) also perished in the 15th over, it looked like Pakistan might restrict the Men in Blue under the 160-run mark. However, Kohli (60 off 44) once again proved why he is a world-class batter with yet another crucial half-century.
Deepak Hooda (16 off 14) also hung around for a bit and some crucial runs from Ravi Bishnoi (eight* off two) ensured that India posted a competitive 181-7 on the board.
In reply, Pakistan have already lost Babar Azam (14 off 10) and will need Mohammad Rizwan to fire in order to hunt down the total.
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