Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Wasim Jaffer is not happy with the way Rishabh Pant is batting despite his first half-century of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Jaffer who represented RCB in first two IPL seasons wants Pant to rotate strike like Virat Kohli instead of looking for a big shot in order to release the pressure created by dot balls.
"I don't know whether he looks to do that [rotate strike]," former India opener Wasim Jaffer said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut. "Kohli is a master at that. He gets off strike so nicely as he can play all around. But Pant sometimes does get stuck, and that's the issue. Then he goes for that big shot. I just feel he needs to get better at rotating strike as well."
Jaffer feels Pant does not target the straight boundary. He said that the teams have protection for Pant's typical shots.
"I feel he never looks to hit straight. He always looks to go towards the leg side, towards square leg, cow corner. He hit one straight six right towards the end [against CSK]. Otherwise, at the start of the innings, he was always looking to go towards the leg side, or that reverse scoop that he played, but that was the only thing," the former Indian opener said.
"A lot of the time, the teams stack up the fielders in that area as well. So I think he needs to access down the ground a lot more," he added.
Pant struggled for boundaries until the slog overs. After in-form Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran departed for single-digit scores, Pant scored 63 runs from 49 balls. His knock was studded with four fours and as many sixes. He helped LSG post 166/7 on the board.
Mukund likes to see Pant 'moving around'
Another Indian top-order batter, Abhinav Mukund likes the way Pant plays but feels that CSK blocked the cover area for him.
"I still feel Pant has so much to offer when he is moving around, contrary to what you hear a lot of commentators and players saying that he needs to stay still and hit. I like Pant when he is moving around. It feels like he is more proactive, accessing over cover, accessing straight. It felt like that cover area was closed today for business for him and that's a bit concerning," Mukund said in the same conversation.
After the five-wicket defeat, LSG are in the fourth position on the points table. LSG's next clash is against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on April 19.