Rishabh Pant’s strength can easily lead to his downfall if he is not careful, asserts VVS Laxman
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VVS Laxman has pointed out that Rishabh Pant must understand that his strength of being a natural hitter can also lead to his downfall and he needs to be careful about it. The former cricketer also praised Rohit Sharma’s captaincy after the recent clean sweep against the Windies in the T20 series.
India defeated the Windies 3-0 in the T20 series which concluded in Chennai on Sunday. The Indian batsmen chased down the target of 182 with Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant adding 130 runs for the third wicket to win the game for the hosts. The young wicketkeeper scored 58 off just 38 balls and his knock included five fours and three hits over the ropes. Dhawan scored 92 off 62 before getting out in the final over during the run-chase as India won off the last delivery of the game. Mentioning about Pant’s aggressive batting, Laxman has said that he needs to be a bit careful and should understand that his strength can also lead to his downfall as well. Â
In his column for the Times of India, Laxman wrote, "It was wonderful to see Shikhar get back among big runs ahead of the tour of Australia, and his partnership with young Rishabh Pant all but sealed the deal in Chennai. However, Pant must understand that what is his strength can easily lead to his downfall if he is not careful. While it is imperative to embrace natural freedom, he will be well advised to play high-percentage strokes, more so when he is adept at doing so.”
“Twenty20 cricket is the Windies' most preferred version, and they have shown their liking for the game's shortest format by winning the World T20 on two occasions. Against that backdrop, they will look back on the three-match shootout against India with a great deal of disappointment, and not merely because Rohit Sharma led the hosts to a 3-0 sweep."
Rohit was chosen to lead the T20 side again as Virat Kohli was given rest before the important tour to Australia and the Mumbai batsman proved his captaincy credentials again by leading the Indian team to a 3-0 win over the Windies. He himself got to his fourth hundred in T20 internationals in the second game in Lucknow where India took the unassailable lead against the Caribbean team. Laxman praised his captaincy in the column and said that he is proactive on the field and doesn’t afraid to improvise. Â
"I was again mightily impressed with Rohit's captaincy. He is becoming a semi-regular at the job, especially in T20 cricket, and handled his troops admirably. He is proactive on the field and has clear plans, but isn't afraid to improvise. He also continued to bat beautifully, and his fourth T20I hundred in Lucknow was one for the ages. I have seen few batsmen combine power and elegance with such nonchalance," Laxman wrote.
Commenting on the Windies side the former cricketer wrote, “Even though the Windies were without some of their big names, there still was enough firepower and potential in the emerging batsmen to leave their imprint. But they let themselves down in the first two games with qu
The Indian bowlers also put up a great show in the series with Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah making life difficult for the Windies batsmen. Kuldeep was adjudged Man of the Match in the first game in Kolkata where he scalped three wickets by giving away only 13 runs while in the second game he again picked up two at his home ground in Lucknow. Both of them were rested for the third match after their impressive show in the first two.Â
"Jasprit Bumrah was excellent as ever while Kuldeep is clearly among the best bowlers in white-ball cricket. What was pleasing was his control, even as he unfurled his vast bag of tricks. That the Windies batsmen had little clue which way the ball was turning was the perfect reflection of Kuldeep's mastery over his craft," Laxman concluded.
