One of the biggest talking points of India’s four-run loss to South Africa in the third ODI in Cape Town, which resulted in the hosts cruising to a 3-0 clean sweep, was the manner of Rishabh Pant’s dismissal. The wicketkeeper-batter has often come under scrutiny for his shot selection and he has made the news once again due to the same reason. Numerous experts have been fuming over the incident and the latest to join the bandwagon is former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt.
While discussing India’s defeat in a video on his YouTube channel, Butt was asked to give a piece of advice to the team. In response, he said:
“If we go with pure cricketing reasons, then the selection wasn’t great as far as the bowling line-up is concerned. It lacked pace. In the batting department, no one was able to convert their 50s and 60s into a century. If you look at the difference between India and South Africa in these matches, you’d notice that their (SA’s) batters would go on to play a big innings after getting set.
“On the other hand, whenever an Indian batter got set, he’d get out after scoring a 50-60. So, it was obvious that when they lost wickets in a cluster, the guy coming in would be under a lot of pressure and he wasn’t going to be able to play freely. Whenever the platform was set, a lot of unreasonable shot-making took place,” he elaborated.
Commenting about Pant and what he needs to do better, Butt opined:
“Take Rishabh Pant’s example; the partnership (for the last wicket) was set and he should have taken his time because the scoring rate was also healthy. Even with a run-a-ball 20 or 25, he could have taken India to a win very easily. He is s such a good stroke player who is capable of achieving any target. It’s as if he has taken a vow to step out very first ball. Not sure if someone tells him to do so before he walks out to bat or he fantasizes about doing something extraordinary on the very first ball. It is not sensible. His form is good currently and whenever he stays, he scores big. So, he should utilize it.”