Former South African cricketer Shaun Pollock has criticized Rishabh Pant harshly for his poor performance in the current IPL 2025 season. Pant, who was signed by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a staggering INR 27 crore, has failed to live up to his price, scoring just 110 runs in 11 matches so far.
Rishabh Pant's Poor Form
Pant's most recent disappointment was in a high-scoring encounter with Mumbai Indians, where he managed only four runs off two deliveries before being dismissed trying to play a dangerous reverse sweep. In pursuit of a record target of 216, his dismissal did the LSG team harm, and Pollock wasn't shy about complaining.
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Pollock Criticises Pant
Talking on Cricbuzz, Pollock criticized Pant's shot choice as irresponsible and doubted his game sense. Comparing Pant with Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Krunal Pandya, Pollock pointed out how Krunal, who was a less experienced batter, had better match sense and constructed an important innings after being pushed up the order.
Rishabh Pant's Shot Selection Questioned
"He got to the crease, he picked up a boundary off the very first ball. He almost bought himself 10 balls, where he could just knock it around, pick up the singles get a feel of the surface, and then look to cash in. But, they will tell you, "Oh, that is my natural game", to pull out the reverse sweep," said Pollock.
Pant Asked To "Watch Krunal Pandya"
"Now we watch that game, where you see him do that, and then you watch Krunal Pandya, who has got nowhere near the ability that Pant has got, nowhere near the experience he has got, walked in a similar situation, he managed to get himself in and then he made them pay later. So, I don't know how we explain Pant's shot selection. In his mind, he must have felt that there was a shot on offer," he added.
Pant's leadership and form have been under greater scrutiny as LSG struggles to remain in the playoff hunt.