New Delhi: India’s campaign in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been far from perfect, and one of the key issues for the visitors has been Rishabh Pant’s poor form. The wicket-keeper batter is going through a lean patch in the five-match series and has failed to cross the 50-run mark so far.
He might have scored just 96 runs in five innings at a lowly average of 19.20, but India captain Rohit Sharma has played down concerns over his form.
Pant’s struggles in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Rohit said that the wicketkeeper-batter knows what is expected of him and to regain his form, Pant is working hard in the nets. Highlighting Pant’s success with the bat on the previous tours to Australia, Rohit backed Pant to bounce back in the press conference ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
Pant, who emerged as India’s BGT hero in the 2020-21 tour, has struggled to live up to the billing on the ongoing tour. The Delhi dasher, who scored 350 runs in 7 innings in the 2018-19 tour and 274 runs in 5 innings in the 2020-21 tour, has been peppered with short deliveries in the first three Tests.
Rohit Sharma’s defense of Rishabh Pant’s performance
Despite Pant’s low returns, Rohit said there is no pressure on the Delhi dasher and it’s not right to judge him based on just three matches.
“There is no pressure. He has played just three Tests here. He has scored runs in India. He has been in good form. If two or three Tests go up and down, too much of judgement is not right. He knows what he has to do.
“Rishabh Pant knows what he has to do. He himself has a lot of expectations from him. He is working hard. I hope he clicks in the last two matches,” Rohit said in the presser.
Both India and Australia will look to assert their supremacy in the BGT 2024-25 in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) starting on December 26, Thursday. With the series level at 1-1, MCG Test presents a great opportunity to take series lead ahead of the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
BGT: Rishabh Pant’s underwhelming performance in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy has raised concerns but despite his low scores, captain Rohit Sharma has expressed unwavering support, highlighting Pant’s past successes in Australia and emphasising his hard work. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
