Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra feels the final T20I between India and New Zealand will be a golden opportunity for Rishabh Pant to grab his chance while opening the innings. Pant had opened the innings in the second T20I against the Kiwis at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui but he had looked rusty as he struggled to find the timing.
The left-hander could only score six runs after facing 13 deliveries and was dismissed by Lockie Ferguson. Many cricket pundits feel that opening the innings is the ideal position for Rishabh Pant in the T20I format but he is yet to take his chance.
Pant hasn’t yet flourished in the shortest format of the game as he has done in the Test version.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “This is an extremely important match for Rishabh Pant. The truth is you are making him open because he is a very good player and his best might come at that position, just like we did with Rohit Sharma. Is that what we are trying to do or are we convinced that he can be the best opener? I have no answer for that question.”
The former Delhi player feels Ishan Kishan batted well for the team but he could not score at an impressive strike rate. Kishan scored 36 runs from 31 balls in the second game.
“Ishan Kishan batted well but it was not at a strike rate of 150, although the conditions were slightly challenging. They will be less challenging in this match and the expectation is that India will try to run at a faster pace.”
The renowned commentator added that India’s success is directly proportional to the way Suryakumar Yadav bats in the middle.
“We reach 190 only when Suryakumar Yadav hits. If he doesn’t hit, there are problems. Everyone else on one side and Suryakumar Yadav on the other. He scores 111 runs off 51 balls and the rest of the team scores 80 runs in 69 balls. The truth is that your success is tied to Suryakumar Yadav’s form.”
On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer scored 13 runs in the second game but Chopra reckons the Mumbai batter is going to get peppered with short bowling by the Kiwis.
“It seems Shreyas Iyer is coming riding a horse. Bouncers will be bowled to him here also. The side boundaries are short, so there is a possibility of success, but bouncers are going to be bowled, that is absolutely clear.”
