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Rishabh Pant's batting has once again come under scanner as his patchy form with the willow continues in the ongoing T20I series between India and South Africa. Pant was given the onus to spearhead the Men in Blue after KL Rahul suffered an injury on the eve of five-match T20I series opener against Proteas but the star southpaw seems to wilt under the captaincy pressure which hasn't yielded in anything positive. The flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter has been seen getting dismissed in the similar fashion in the series as he could only muster 29, 5, 6 and 17 in his last four innings respectively.
On the other hand, the stunning return of Dinesh Karthik in India's T20I fold is co-existing with Pant's struggle with the form which in future could put the 24-year-old's spot in jeopardy in the slam-bang form of cricket.
India are playing the series against South Africa without some senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, while KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav are unavailable with injury. With those four players set to feature in India's playing XI when they go to Australia for the T20 World Cup in October-November, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik also seem to have consolidated their positions in the team with their performances.
Meanwhile, ex-India cricketer Wasim Jaffer believes that when India have all players available, it will be difficult for Pant to find a place in the T20I playing XI.
"I think if you select the next T20 team, then DK stays in the XI without a doubt. KL Rahul comes back as and when he is fit, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, I think those 3-4 guys walk into the side. So, I feel Rishabh Pant will find it hard to get a place in that XI," Jaffer said on ESPNcricinfo.
"I think DK has overlapped Rishabh Pant at least at the moment. I can't say about the future, but at the moment you would pick DK any time in front of Rishabh Pant," he said.
After being pegged back in the first two match of the series, India launched a stunning comeback in the next two to level the series 2-2 and eventually force a decider as they will now lock horns with the Temba Bavuma-led side in the fifth and final T20I in Bengaluru on Sunday.
