The LSG’s skipper Rishabh Pant has been praised by the team’s mentor Zaheer Khan. Pant has been receiving criticism from fans as well as the LSG’s owner for his poor performance in the IPL. Zaheer Khan shielded Rishabh Pant by assuring that the wicketkeeper-batsman would return soon with the backing of team management. Rishabh Pant in the Lucknow Super Giants batting line up continue to endure a remarkably slim phase with an average of just 12 as he has scored just 110 runs across nine innings.
Zaheer Khan’s Views On Rishabh Pant
“I wouldn’t relate it to anything like that. He is a leader and he has been fantastic as a leader, that’s something I can vouch for,” Zaheer commented following LSG’s 54-run loss to MI at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
“The kind of efforts he has been taking to ensure each and every individual in the group is comfortable, is heard, and that the planning around everything in the IPL is spot on.
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“As a leader, he is ticking all the boxes. As a batter, the middle order is dependent on Rishabh and I am very confident that the impact we want from him will come. It’s just about something clicking,” he added.
Reason Behind Rishabh Pant Facing Criticism
The LSG skipper is getting criticised by the fans because of his low hit rate and high attack rate although he managed half-centuries on occasion. His moderate batting pace in the centre of the middle has drawn criticism through his example during the Chennai Super Kings game when he scored 63 off 49 balls at a speed of 128.57. Critics view Pant’s position within the crease area negatively because he makes excessive leg kicks instead of experimenting with spinning shots similar to the style used by Kohli. In addition to this he is also getting criticised as people believe he is not a finisher by nature so he should not be focusing on emulating MS Dhoni’s style and instead he should be batting higher up the order, possibly in the middle overs.
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