‘No stamp Rishabh Pant will play T20 World Cup’: Ashish Nehra suggests three options – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

The 5-match T20I series between India and South Africa had to end in a 2-2 draw owing to the fifth and final match in Bengaluru being called off due to rain. After losing the first two games in Delhi and Cuttack, the Rishabh Pant-led side made an emphatic comeback by winning the next two fixtures in Vizag and Rajkot.

Bowling was a big plus for the side, and Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik were superb with the bat. However, the form of captain Rishabh Pant was a cause of concern and with Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik’s recent performances, there could be pressure on the wicket-keeper batter.

Pant scored 57 runs across four innings and he kept falling to the wide delivery as he was dismissed by a similar plan in three matches. After his failure to nail down a spot at the number 4 position, former India bowler and the winning coach of Gujarat Titans, Ashish Nehra has said that Pant is not indispensable.

“Right from day one we knew he(Pant) is going to be popular. He came the first day and then got dropped as he flopped initially. Then he came back and made a name for himself. I am very sure he will be disappointed with the kind of T20 numbers he had. There is no stamp that says Pant will surely play the T20 World Cup. He can also get injured,” Nehra told Cricbuzz.

Nehra also said that there was no definite answer to if Pant’s spot in the playing XI in the T20 side for the World Cup as India has a number of matches before the high-stakes competition. Nehra stated that India could try out other options before the marquee tournament.

“One good thing about Pant is that he plays all three formats. Others play only T20I, and if they don’t perform well in these limited chances, they will have some problems You have Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson. You also have Dinesh Karthik,” Nehra added.

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