He managed to score only 128 runs in 11 matches so far.
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Sanjay Bangar has taken a dig at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant amidst the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 suspension. He has stated that the batter still lacks the proper knowledge of the T20s and ODIs.
“We have to recognise that he’s still yet to totally understand the white-ball game – both formats, 50-over cricket as well as T20 cricket,” he said to Star Sports.
Though Bangar admitted that Pant is brilliant in Tests, he opined that the southpaw should be careful about his choice of shots in the white ball formats. Moreover, he also identified Pant’s recent knack for playing most of his shots behind the wicket in the IPL, which has caused the most number of his dismissals this season.
“A fabulous Test match batter, make no mistake about it, but here in this particular season, what I noticed is that he got out a number of times looking to play shots behind the wicket. If you do look to score down the ground a lot of times, then all those other areas open up. But if you’re only looking to score behind, then whatever is in front of you, you sort of are very much late and not in a great position to play,” added the former batting coach of RCB.
However, he has suggested the 27-year-old play his natural game and look to play down-the-ground shots.
“Now, you pull out the best innings of Rishabh – where has he looked to score the runs? Drives through covers, step down the track and try to hit the sightscreen or go over midwicket, square. But here, he was trying to play those reverse sweeps or shots that are very fine. So as a batter, I think probably he just got caught in that confusion and forgot that his best game, or that he plays at his best, is when he’s looking to score down the ground,” he concluded.
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Notably, Pant has endured the toughest IPL edition of his career this season. He was acquired by LSG for a whopping price of INR 27 crores and handed the captaincy as well.
But he failed to become a valuable buy for his team as he managed to put up only 128 runs in 11 matches. His team, LSG, also lost six of their 11 matches and is currently placed seventh in the points table.
The BCCI suspended the ongoing IPL 2025 season on May 9, amidst the rising tensions between India and Pakistan. The two sides, RCB and LSG, were set to face off against each other at the Ekana Stadium that day.
Previously, the Delhi Capitals’ clash against the Punjab Kings in Dharamsala was also abandoned for security threats. As per a statement from the IPL, the cash-rich league is set to resume after a week.
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