Saba Karim posed the question of how a player with “X-Factor” potential like Rishabh Pant could be left off of India’s playing XI for the Asia Cup 2022.
Rishabh Pant was not selected to participate for India in their Asia Cup match against Pakistan on Sunday. The match was a low-scoring thriller, and India emerged victorious. In light of KL Rahul’s comeback to the lineup, the wicketkeeper-battler was demoted to the bench, and Dinesh Karthik was given the task of manning the wicketkeeping position.
Saba Karim, a former player for India as well as a member of the selection committee, stated that it appears as though the flashy southpaw does not have a spot in India’s playing XI at the present time, but he was left wondering why the management would leave out a “X-Factor” player like Pant.
“I have a feeling that the administration of the Indian cricket team has made up their minds to play Dinesh Karthik in the Asia Cup. As a result, they intend to use Ravindra Jadeja as a floater batsman because of this decision. Due Jadeja provides a different kind of dimension to the game, we saw him go up the order to bat number 4 in the most recent match, and it’s possible that this may occur more frequently as the game progresses because of Jadeja’s contribution “According to Saba Karim, Sports18.
“Also, he’s developed into such a mature left-handed batter that he can bat up the order at number 4 or number 5, and if there’s a chance, he can also come down the order and score quick runs. This is because he has the ability to switch hands. Therefore, it can be deduced that Rishabh Pant will not be included in the eleven for the time being “He continued on to state that.
“Having said that, however, I truly feel that Rishabh Pant is a game-changer of the highest order. He has the ability to pull victories out of thin air when it seems like the squad has no chance at all. Why, then, would you want to leave someone like Rishabh Pant off the eleven that you’ve selected?” Saba Karim asked.
Karim has stated that Pant needs to improve his numbers in T20 Internationals, but he has also stated that he can bring value in the shortest format as well because of the kind of form he has showed in Tests and ODIs.
“Rishabh Pant needs to find a solution to this predicament in order to move on. In recent times, though, one has been able to catch glimpses of the kind of form he has displayed in test matches. We were able to witness him produce an outstanding innings against England in a single day. And along the same lines, there have been some outstanding performances, “Saba Karim added.
“Even if it’s not on a regular basis, I believe that Rishabh Pant still has a lot of ground to cover when it comes to the Twenty20 format of cricket. Rishabh Pant is already a very good player, but I believe that with additional playing time, he will be able to build his self-assurance and contribute significantly more to the worth of this Twenty20 team “he stated.
