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Former India Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara revealed that he is surprised to see wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant unable to perform up to his standard in the ongoing IPL. Pant, who is leading Lucknow Super Giants, has managed to score just 204 runs in IPL-19 so far. LSG are at the bottom of the table with four points.
Pujara, a Test veteran, reckoned that the 28-year-old left-handed batter needs more clarity in his mind. “It’s the mindset thing. There has to be some more clarity in the way Rishabh plays. I’m also very surprised, because someone like him can attack any bowler in Test cricket and when we look at his stats in IPL, it’s not as good as Test cricket. I still feel that someone like Rishabh, who is a quality batter, can play all three formats and his record in T20 cricket should be a lot better than what it reflects. Technically, I don’t see a lot of changes which are needed in Rishabh’s batting,” Pujara, a JioHotstar CTV Hindi feed expert, said during a select media interaction on Wednesday.
Cheteshwar Pujara. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Pant, 28, has scored 3476 runs in 49 Tests, including eight centuries. In 76 T20Is, he has 1209 runs under his belt.
To get back in form in the shortest version of the game, Pujara, 38, feels Pant should work on his shot selection. “It’s also clarity of thought, clarity in what he [Pant] needs to do when he walks in to bat and the kind of shots he should play.
“In Test cricket, Rishabh knows that these are his areas because the field is kept up. Even if the field is kept on the fence, he still picks the right pockets to hit his shots. In the T20 format, he’s a little more dominant on the leg-side. He will have to work on his game on the off-side, which will allow him to be more successful in T20s,” said Pujara, who scored 7195 runs in 103 Tests.
6
No. of times Rishabh Pant has been dismissed under 20 runs in nine IPL innings this season
204
No. of runs scored by Rishabh Pant across LSG’s nine IPL matches this season
128.30
Rishabh Pant’s strike-rate in IPL-19 so far
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