What does Rahul Dravid think about captaincy of Rishabh Pant?
Indian head coach Rahul Dravid recently talked about the leadership of stand-in skipper Rishabh Pant in the five-match T20I series against South Africa. The series ended in a 2-2 draw after the final T20I was washed out. Pant-led India had bounced back after losing the first two games. Dravid believes "it is too early to judge Pant" as he will grow as a leader.
Captaincy is not about wins and losses only: Dravid
"Captaincy is not about wins and losses only. It is too early to judge him and you don't want to do that after one series," Dravid said on Sunday. "It was nice to see he has got opportunities to lead, keep and bat. He had a lot of load on him. Credit to him for ensuring that we went from 0-2 down to 2-2."
Captain Pant faltered on quite a few occasions
Pant faltered on quite a few occasions while leading in the T20I series. His decision to send Axar Patel ahead of hard-hitter Dinesh Karthik in the 2nd T20I turned out to be a disaster in the previous duel. Karthik, however, managed 30 off 21 deliveries to put up a competitive total. Moreover, Pant was under the scanner for his rotation of bowlers.
Pant averaged just 14.50 in the series
Pant also had a hard time with the bat. His scores in five T20Is read 29 (16), 5(7), 6(8), 17(23), and 1*(1). He averaged 14.50 and struck at a paltry rate of 105.45. Pant often threw his wicket while playing reckless strokes.
'Pant an integral part of our batting line-up', clarified Dravid
Despite the poor show, Dravid placed his trust in Pant, the batter. The latter clarified that Pant "remains an integral part of our batting line-up. We know what he does with the power he has". Notably, Pant slammed 340 runs at 30.90 in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He had a strike rate of 151.78 in the tournament.
Pant averages just 23.60 in T20Is this year
Although Dravid has backed Pant, the latter hasn't lived up to the expectations in the shortest format. He averages 23.60 after seven T20Is in 2022. Wicket-keepers Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik are also in contention for the T20 World Cup. KL Rahul also keeps in T20Is. A few more poor exhibitions and the selectors might want to reconsider Pant's spot for the mega tournament.
