Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa believes Rishabh Pant should not bat below the number three position in the white-ball formats. While Pant has performed consistently in Test cricket, he is yet to grab his opportunities in the white-ball versions of the game. 

Pant is also not part of the T20 World Cup 2026 squad but he was part of the previous edition of the World Cup. The left-hander has scored 1209 runs in 76 T20I matches at an average of 23.25 whereas he has scored 871 runs in 31 ODIs at an average of 33.5.

Robin Uthappa said on CommBox TV YouTube Channel, “I’ve never understood why someone of Rishabh’s calibre is not opening the batting or batting at No.3. That’s where it should end. 2. He should not bat below No.3, but he believes on some level that he’s a great finisher in white-ball cricket and that his numbers are really great.”

“He has worked out why it hasn’t worked out for him in white-ball cricket. He has probably made a semblance of peace with it. Even today, when you look at where he bats, even in the IPL, where he is the captain of a franchise, we see him bat at No. 4 and 5.”

The former flamboyant batter highlighted that modern-day batters throw their bat at everything when things get tricky in the middle.

“Today we are celebrating Rishabh Pant, not withstanding his prowess and what he has been able to achieve in Test cricket, for his unorthodox batting approach. Similarly, a Harry Brook or Ben Duckett. When things get a little hard, they just throw their bat at everything. They think offense is the best form of defense and that’s where cricket is at this point,” said Uthappa (via the aforementioned source).

Pant would look to come up with consistent performances in the white-ball formats.