Former India batter Suresh Raina has put his weight behind an inconsistent Rishabh Pant as the X factor alongside in-form Hardik Pandya for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Raina pointed out that India will not have a left-handed batter in their top six if Pant does not make the cut. He compared the situation to when India had Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and himself in the lineup to provide left-right combination.
"I would say the presence of a left-handed batter would be very important in the middle," Raina told PTI.
"From No. 1-6, we don't have a left-hander and I'm sure the opponents will have two-three left-handed bowlers. We have seen it in the past -- 2007, 2011 and 2013 -- the role Gauti (Gautam), Yuvi Pa (Yuvraj) and I played.
"You need to bring the X factor with Hardik and who can be the X factor? I think Rishabh being a left-hander could be better," the 35-year-old said as he chose Pant over India’s designated finisher Dinesh Karthik.
Raina feels that a team needs the left-right combination in order to unsettle the rival bowlers.
"When Yuvi Pa and I played, we would scare the opponents. Now Rahul, Rohit will have to decide how they have to go about it. I'm sure they must be thinking over it, but whoever they play, we have to win."
He also talked about Karthik’s role in the team and the responsibility he needs to take if he gets picked over Pant.
"DK has got an opportunity, he has been given a role. But I'm not saying whether they should prefer Pant over DK. Whoever gets a chance, needs to take a lot of responsibility and win the game," said India’s first T20I centurion.
Raina also believes that Pandya will be India's key player in the mega event. The all-rounder has delivered with bat and ball of late. Earlier this year, he also led Gujarat Titans (GT) to Indian Premier League (IPL) title in their debut season.
"Remember Pandya would be the main player for Team India. He will bowl those crucial overs in the powerplay and some in the middle and his role would be most important when he comes on to bat, when we would be needing 60-70 runs off 30 balls. So his role would be very important for Team India to win the World Cup," the southpaw added.
