Here's how Rishabh Pant fared in Delhi Premier League opener
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant played a sluggish knock on his Delhi Premier League (DPL) debut on August 17. Representing Purani Dilli 6 against South Delhi Superstarz, Pant scored 35 runs off 32 balls, a pace that deviated from his usual aggressive style. His struggle in coping with spin-bowling drew significant criticism across social media platforms. It was earlier reported that Pant would turn out for the opening T20 scheduled at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Pant struggles against spinners
Pant's struggle against slower bowlers was evident in the DPL match as off-spinner Ayush Badoni and mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi perturbed him. The left-handed batter scored just 10 runs from his first 14 balls and took 27 balls to reach the 30-run mark. Pant's innings included 4 boundaries and a six, while his strike-rate was just over 109. This performance has raised questions about his effectiveness against spinners in T20 cricket.
Pant strikes at 113 against spinners in T20Is
Pant, who has a strike-rate of over 145 in T20 cricket, strikes at 132.66 against spinners, as per ESPNcricinfo. He has been dismissed by spinners as many as 50 times in 144 T20 innings. His tally includes 73 sixes. Notably, Pant's strike-rate against spinners in T20Is falls to 112.71. Moreover, Pant has been under the scanner in T20Is, having scored just 1,209 runs from 76 games at a nominal strike-rate of 127.26. He faces stiff competition from other emerging talents.
Pant fails to deliver despite solid run in T20 WC
Prior to the DPL match, Pant was honored by DDCA President Rohan Jaitley and BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla for his contributions to India's 2024 ICC T20 World Cup title. Despite his commendable performance in the tournament, where he scored 171 runs in eight innings, fans expected him to deliver big scores at the start of an innings. This expectation was not met during his debut game in the DPL.
WATCH: Pant honored ahead of DPL opener
Future plans and commitments
Pant had reportedly agreed to participate in the opening Delhi Premier League fixture before shifting his focus to the Duleep Trophy. This decision is part of his preparation for India's impending season, which includes Tests against Bangladesh and Australia. As per The Times of India, a source close to Pant had revealed that he will feature in the tournament opener as the Indian batter is eager for this initiative.
