Can Pant Revive His T20I Career During LSG's Stint?

In New Delhi [India], on March 17 (ANI), Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant, known for his skills behind the stumps and with the bat, is set to embark on a fresh chapter in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He will lead the newly formed team, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), into the next season under significant pressure due to his status as the costliest player ever signed, priced at Rs 27 crore.

Since joining the Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2016, Pant has played throughout his Indian Premier League (IPL) tenure, accumulating 3,284 runs across 110 games with an average of 35.31, including one hundred and eighteen half-centuries. In 2021, he took over as the team’s skipper and guided DC into the playoffs during that very season. However, before the major auction in 2024, the franchise released him from their roster. Subsequently, he entered the auction as the highest-priced player in IPL history when he was acquired by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Rs 27 crore, where they also named him captain.

In this fresh phase, he might revitalize his T20 international career for India, where his most recent appearance was back in July of the previous year. Known initially for his array of unconventional and daring shots along with powerful innings during both the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2016 and the IPL seasons from 2017 to 2018, Pant hasn’t managed to meet the high standards expected of him in T20 internationals. His performance includes an average score of 23, a strike rate under 130, and only three half-centuries across 75 games. Consequently, he finds himself sidelined without a spot in the national team; meanwhile, Sanju Samson holds down the position of primary wicketkeeper-batsman in shorter formats. Facing stiff competition from numerous talented young players who have become adept at mastering T20 cricket recently, Pant must quickly regain his footing in the T20I lineup through impressive performances within limited preparation time.

One crucial choice he faces is determining where Pant will fit into LSG’s lineup. The team boasts an impressive array of international batsmen including Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and David Miller. Incorporating Pant along with Ayush Badoni strengthens their top order significantly. However, the challenge lies in the fact that all these players specialize in different batting positions rather than being openers.

Of these six players, Pooran (94 innings) and Marsh (85 innings) have primarily batted at the top of the order. In contrast, Markram (39 innings) and Pant (21 innings) have mostly taken their positions as openers. The remaining players have each served as an opener in fewer than ten games. It’s noteworthy that over the past four years, Markram has been an opener just once, whereas Pant has filled this role only five times across his last six seasons, according to Wisden data.

We have to select two ideal opening batsmen and choose the best middle order comprising players from positions three to six from this pool of world-class batter.

LSG might find it enticing to shuffle Pant, Pooran, Miller, and Badoni among positions three through six. However, fielding three consecutive openers could lead to overly simplistic strategies, which no squad desires in today’s volatile world of T20 cricket. Here, teams increasingly favor right-left batting pairings.

Pooran has positioned himself as one of the most devastating batsmen in the middle order within T20 cricket. Since IPL 2023, nobody has achieved a higher strike rate of 175.98 than he has, surpassing notable players such as Suryakumar Yadav and Heinrich Klaasen. The reliance on Miller as a finisher is unprecedented, making both Pooran and Miller unsuitable options for opening positions. Instead, they should be considered for spots four through six, with Badoni potentially breaking up the left-handed batting lineup.

Of the remaining trio, Pant boasts the strongest stats as an opener in T20 matches. While Pant maintains an average of 32.2 with a strike rate of 162.2 when opening the innings, Markram scores an average of 27.9 accompanied by a strike rate of 128.9, whereas Marsh registers an average of 18.8 along with a strike rate of 147.1.

Despite Pant having batted first in just 21 matches throughout his career, his average remains nearly identical to when he bats third, fourth, and fifth, where averages hover around 33, 33, and 31 respectively. Additionally, his strike rate is significantly higher when opening compared to positions three through five (149 versus 143 and 141 accordingly).

To start off, Pant scores a boundary every 3.9 deliveries when opening. This frequency changes to approximately one boundary every 4.7, 5.2, and 5.6 throws when he bats at positions three, four, and five respectively.

Additionally, the previous attempt at positioning Pant as an opening batsman in T20Is occurred in 2022, yielding inconsistent outcomes including scores like 26, 1, 27, 6, and 11. However, whenever he surpassed 10 or particularly 20 runs, his strike rate exceeded 170. As an opener for India, his batting average stands at 14.20, whereas his strike rate is notably high at 136.50—significantly surpassing his overall career strike rate which exceeds 127.

Following 2022, he didn’t feature in any form of T20 cricket, yet participated as a batter at position three during the T20 World Cup. This was done to leverage batting constraints early in the game and incorporate another left-hander among the top batters. For LSG, this strategy might be repeated. In the T20 World Cup, where bowlers had an advantage, he excelled, accumulating 171 runs across eight matches with a strike rate of 127.61. Opening alongside Pant would align perfectly with his attacking approach, potentially increasing run-scoring opportunities under restricted field conditions.

During the IPL, he has opened his batting stint at position three across 13 matches, accumulating 433 runs with an impressive average of 39.36 and maintaining a strike rate higher than 169.

LSG might choose between Marsh or Markram to partner up with him at the top of the order; Markram excels as a spinner basher, whereas Marsh brings greater aggression and force to the game.

Pant is also considering opening, though the roles remain unclear so far. After being named LSG captain in January, Pant stated, according to Wisden, “There’s certainly an allure to batting at the top of the order, but there isn’t complete certainty about whether I should open or stay in the middle order.”

“Since I’ve spent numerous seasons batting in the middle order and excelling, I believe God has been generous, allowing me to grow accustomed to it. Therefore, I don’t wish to make hasty choices such as ‘we should do this’ just because outside opinions are pushing for it,” he explained.

"This represents my entire lifestyle; it’s my profession, and it’s what I’m passionate about. I feel that rushing into changes wouldn’t be wise. Instead, I’d like to ponder this matter further and have additional discussions with Zak bhai (Zaheer Khan, LSG mentor) and Justin (Langer, LSG head coach). We’ll explore our options together before making a final call,” he stated. (ANI)