Rishabh Pant was expected to hat up the game but he managed to score 18 off 34 balls. Although, at times, he desperately tried to justify the decision. Had the strategy worked, it would have been the first masterstroke of new captain Rohit Sharma’s tenure.
Yet, for the failure as well as for the ridicule that both Rohit and Rishabh could face, it was a progressive move in the right direction.
Very interesting that with KL Rahul available, India have chosen to open with Pant. Tells me that there is a move towards looking at Rahul at no 4, where his numbers are good, as a long term option
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 9, 2022
“People will be happy seeing Rishabh open then, but yeah it is not permanent. We will get Shikhar back in the next game. We want to try a few things with the long term in the mind,” said Rohit.
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Pant seems to have grown under MS Dhoni’s shadow and it is expected that he might finally be able to unlock his ODI potential.
His growth could take him away from Dhoni’s shadow, ultimately liberating him and strengthening India’s batting line up.
