The Indian team skipper Rohit Sharma after the warm-up match against Bangladesh revealed that he just wanted to give a chance to Rishabh Pant batting at Number 3 position and the batting order hasn’t been finalized yet.
Earlier, when the T20 World Cup 2024 squad was announced, there was a lot of debate about the best top-order combination, particularly if Virat Kohli should open with Rohit Sharma or not.
absence during the warm-up game on June 1 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, allowed Rishabh Pant to bat at No.3, which surprised many fans.
Team India batting first on a newly developed stadium in New York posted a total of 182-5 in 20 overs and secured a dominating 60-run victory against Bangladesh.
Especially, fans witnessed the comeback of Rishabh Pant in the Indian jersey after more than 500 days of gap, surviving a life-threatening car accident. The 26-year-old left-handed batsman-wicketkeeper scored a magnificent 32-ball 53 by smashing 4 fours and 4 sixes with a strike rate of 165.62, before retiring out.
After the match, there has been one common question among many cricket fans and experts such as if Rishabh Pant is suitable to bat at No.3 Position in T20 World Cup 2024 or not.
Both Russel Arnold and Rohit Sharma shared contrasting opinions about Rishabh Pant’s role after the warm-up match.
Russel Arnold about Rishabh Pant’s batting position in the T20 World Cup 2024
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Russel Arnold appreciated the way Rishabh Pant executed Rohit Sharma’s plan effectively and believes that the young cricketer can perform well in the top batting order:
“Quite brilliant! I enjoyed the way Pant executed the plan despite being out of action for a while. In particular, accumulating runs into his account, and restoring confidence levels is important. No matter if he enters during the middle phase of the innings or not, scoring runs is crucial for him. Also, the team has an additional option. They needed some left-handed batter who can play destructive innings and Rishabh Pant is a perfect choice. As a result, the Indian cricket team has created an additional option for themselves and will be a happy squad,” said Arnold.
The 50-year-old ex-Sri Lankan batting all-rounder suggests that Rishabh Pant can be promoted up in the batting order to accelerate the momentum of the game.
Rohit Sharma about Rishabh Pant’s No.3 Batting Position
During the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma revealed that promoting Rishabh Pant to the No.3 position was just to test his abilities:
“Well! We aren’t 100% sure! Just to give him (Rishabh Pant) a chance, we have promoted him to the batting order. Also, we haven’t settled on the batting line-up yet. Furthermore, we wanted most of our players to get a chance to bat in the middle,” said Rohit Sharma.
Rishabh Pant’s Role in T20 World Cup 2024: Highlights from the IND vs BAN Warm up match
Rishabh Pant’s impressive half-century batting at the No.3 position not only steered Team India to post a challenging total of 182-5 but also raised discussions about his role in the batting order in T20 World Cup 2024.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma decided to bat first after winning the toss in the warm-up game and the exclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal allowed him to experiment with Sanju Samson as the opening pair.
However, Samson failed to make an impact by scoring just 1 run from 6 balls. Also, Bangladesh’s spin-bowling all-rounder Mahmudullah concluded Rohit Sharma’s steady cameo of 23 runs from 19 balls (including 2 fours and 1 six). But Rishabh Pant’s standout of 53 runs from 32 balls highlighted his talent and flexibility to bat at any position in the batting order.
Additionally, Suryakumar Yadav’s quickfire 18-ball 31 runs (including 4 fours) and Hardik Pandya’s finishing knock of *40 runs from 23 balls (including 2 fours and 4 sixes) supported Pant’s efforts to accelerate the team’s total.
Team India’s medium pacers namely Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube grabbed 2 wickets each, whereas other bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel took one wicket each. Consequently, Bangladesh was restricted to 122-9 in 20 overs, and Mahmudullah was the only top run scorer of his side, scoring 40 runs from 28 balls (including 4 fours and 1 six) before retiring out.
Rishabh Pant vs Virat Kohli in No.3 Position: Conclusive Facts
Virat Kohli achieved many records in the past batting at the No.3 position in T20 internationals. As a result, It is impossible to promote Rishabh Pant in that particular slot of the batting order, if Yashasvi Jaiswal is preferred as the opening pair along with Rohit Sharma.
On the other side, if Rohit Sharma decides to open the innings with Virat Kohli by excluding Yashasvi Jaiswal from the playing XI, there are chances that Rishabh Pant might bat at the 3rd position.
However, Rohit and Yashasvi as the right-left combination have proven to be a successful partnership earlier and the batting order still remains a debate.
Overall, the upcoming matches will decide Team India’s batting order based on the pitch conditions and opponent team’s strength.