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Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis has criticised Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant for not doing justice to his talent in the T20 format. Du Plessis is surprised to see Pant's strike rate was 133 in the previous edition. He wonders how a batter with so many shots at his disposal can't find a way through. Also, the former South African captain believes that Pant intends to hit every ball for a six and there is a need for him to find a method.
“The talent that Rishabh Pant has is tremendous. You look at him playing Test cricket and you think, this guy has all the shots. When I look at his game, I feel he has too many options in his head. He feels like he can hit a six off every ball to any part of the ground. But in T20 batting, you still need a method. You need a game plan for how you go about your business," Du Plessis said on JioStar's 'IPL Today Live'.
"Look at all the great T20 players. You can almost have an idea of where they will score their boundaries and where they have slight weaknesses. They work their way through that. With Pant, I feel he is always on the edge. When you watch him play, you feel he can get out at any time because it is almost frantic at times. The surprising number for me is his T20 strike-rate, which is around 130. How is that possible for a guy with so many shots? Maybe it is because we watch him in Test cricket playing these extravagant, exuberant innings, taking the game on. We almost feel that should just happen in T20 cricket as well.”
No.3 for Pant
Pant had a lacklustre season with LSG where he couldn't justify the hefty price tag of Rs 27 crore. He ended the season with an unbeaten 118, his second IPL century. Du Plessis wants Pant to bat at no.3 ahead of Nicholas Pooran.
“Looking at LSG’s 2026 auction and their strategy around who they signed, you look at that top-heavy batting line-up – Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran are the main ones alongside Pant. Pooran is maybe the only guy who can slide down. But the success Marsh and Markram had at the top of the order for LSG last season is probably something I would expect them to start with again. So, maybe there is an opportunity for Pant to bat at number three. The numbers suggest that for him to be the best player he can be, number three looks good. I see him batting at number three for LSG this season with Nicholas Pooran sliding down to number four,” the 41-year-old said.
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'Strokeplay all over the place'
Du Plessis continued with his criticism of Pant's batting. He feels that he is yet to figure out what works for him in the T20s. He wants the southpaw to find consistency instead of contributing with just one or two impactful knocks. He wants the LSG captain to add more shots to his arsenal when the bowlers bowl wide to him. He does not want the wicketkeeper-batter to be a one-trick pony and not premeditate his shots.
“Rishabh Pant’s stroke play is one that looks all over the place. There is some sort of method and game plan that goes into his head. He has a blueprint for how he wants to play Test cricket. The same thing applies in T20 cricket. He needs to figure out exactly what his game plan looks like to give himself the best chance. Not to be a one out of ten or two out of ten kind of player, but to be in the 60 to 70 per cent range where he can have consistency. To do that, you can’t premeditate every ball. That is too high risk. Yes, you might hit a few sixes and play a couple of good innings. But when teams bowl wide to him, he is good enough to have something else in his armoury to hit through the offside. His game plan is not one-dimensional. He can score all around the ground. For me, it is about his first six balls. When I look at him, he is almost like a highlight player. I want him to be more of a high-impact player in terms of what he can give in his numbers," the former Proteas skipper further added.
Pant's absence from T20I squad
Du Plessis' criticism does not seem to be mis founded. He was part of India's T20 World Cup 2024-winning squad. However, he lost his place in the T20I squad. The other wicketkeeping options already in the squad are Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan. Before the dynamic top-order duo, Jitesh Sharma was considered over Pant.
Pant will have a point to prove as LSG begin their captain against his former franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) at home on April 1.
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