‘He’s confused about his role’ – Aakash Chopra on Rishabh Pant’s indifferent run with the bat

Rishabh Pant, the talented Indian batsman, has been a pale shadow of himself over the last 12 months or so. The southpaw has gone in and out of the national team and he hasn’t been at his best even in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In 12 matches, the left-handed batsman has 285 runs at an average of 28.50 and a dismal strike-rate of 109.61.

That Pant has an overall T20 strike-rate of 150.17 shows how much he has strained in recent times. Talking about his poor run of form, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra said that the 23-year-old is confused and is unsure about his role. Chopra, who’s a renowned commentator, stated that he hasn’t been able to use his gift of power-hitting to good effect.

Rishabh Pant is blessed with the ability to hit the ball long, says Chopra

“Going back to Pant – he comes across as someone who is confused about his role and his responsibilities towards his own game. I’m not talking about what the team or the situation demands of him but just his comfort with his own style of play,” Chopra was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

“His last couple of Test matches and this edition of the IPL have brought that uncertainty to the fore. He is blessed with the ability to hit the ball long and hard, but it seems that he is unsure of the right time to do so,” he stated.

Chopra was surprised by Pant not being able to take the left-arm spinners to the cleaners. Pant has an overall strike-rate of 152.3 in the IPL, and it speaks volumes about his talent. However, somehow, he hasn’t been to perform this time around.

“There have been instances in this IPL where left-arm spinners have come and gone unscathed. The bowlers he wouldn’t allow to settle down in the past have kept him quiet this season because he chose to let the moment pass and wait for a better, more opportune moment,” Chopra added.

Recently, Pant didn’t find a place in the ODI and T20I squads for the tour of Australia. Nevertheless, he was named in the Test squad. The youngster will next be seen playing in the Qualifier 2 in the IPL at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.