The chorus for holistic changes in Team India in T20Is is growing louder following the T20 World Cup exit. The Men in Blue had suffered a humiliating defeat in the semi-final against England. A dated batting approach in the powerplay by the top-order batters is being seen as one of the main reasons for India’s listless performance in the high-stakes semi-final. Now, former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer has backed Rishabh Pant to open the innings in the shortest format of the game. Jaffer has opined that Pant and Shubman Gill should open for India in the T20I series against New Zealand.
In a recent interview, Jaffer shared his playing XI for the three-match T20I series against the Kiwis and provided his rationale to pick Pant in the top order.
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“My playing eleven would be Shubman Gill along with Rishabh Pant, I do not know if he will bat in number 5 because I have Shreyas Iyer at three, Suryakumar Yadav at four, Hardik Pandya as the captain at five and with this said, I don’t think Pant will bat at number 6. So, the best place I feel for him is to bat at the top of the order. Deepak Hooda will play in the no.6 spot,” Jaffer was quoted as saying on ESPNcricinfo.
Jaffer reiterated his thinking that Pant should open the innings as he can play the role of the enforcer on top of the order rather than playing down the middle order.
In the absence of Rohit Sharma, the Indian team will be led by Hardik Pandya in T20I. The team management has rested several senior players and bet on youngsters. The pace attack will see the return of Umran Malik and Mohammed Siraj whereas Kuldeep Yadav has also managed to make a comeback.
The first of the three-match series was washed out due to rain in Wellington on Friday. The contest between the two teams now shifts to Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The second T20I is slated to be played on Sunday, November 20.
Following the three-match T20I series, Team India, led by Shikhar Dhawan, will also be locking horns with the Kiwis in ODIs.
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