‘How many opportunities?’ – Former Indian cricketer lambasts Rishabh Pant for his constant failures in T20I

Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yada were the only two batters who performed exceedingly well for Team India in the recent 20-20 World Cup. India defeated their arch-rivals Pakistan in the tournament opener, and post that, they outclassed Netherlands, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh. 

Men in Blue were not able to live up to the expectations of their fans as they lost in the semi-final of the 20-20 World Cup against England. With the loss, the Indian team will eventually continue their wait for the World title and the next target would be the 50-over World Cup to be held in India in 2023. 

On seeing team India’s performance in big tournaments, former Indian player Reetinder Sodhi pointed out Rishabh Pant’s failure in the shortest format of the game. Pant had a very bad outing in Australia as he was able to score only six runs off balls in the semi-final against the English side which was played at Adelaide Oval. He only played two games in the 2022 edition of the 20-20 World Cup out of which, one came against Zimbabwe and the other was in the knockouts against Jos Buttler’s men. 

He really has to tighten his shoes: Reetinder Sodhi

While speaking to India News, Sodhi backed Sanju Samson instead of Pant to get a go-ahead in the shortest format of the game. “He is becoming a liability for Team India. If it’s like this, then bring in Sanju Samson. End of the day, you got to take that chance because you cannot afford to lose and exit in World Cup or world tournaments. When you give too many chances, problems arise. The time has come to provide opportunities to new guys,” Sodhi said.

“Only time will tell how many opportunities and how long he gets. Time is passing and he really has to tighten his shoes. Everything has a limit. You cannot depend on one player for so long. If he is not performing, you got to show him the exit door,” he added. Pant has played 27 ODIs and 66 T20Is for India while power-hitter Samson has featured in only 26 international white-ball matches for the former world champions.