Ganguly and Ponting Endorse Rishabh Pant for India’s T20 World Cup Squad

Based on what Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting have witnessed of Rishabh Pant in the IPL 2024 so far, they think he should be included in India’s T20 World Cup selection.

“Yes, I believe that Pant ought to be included in the World Cup team,” Ganguly stated on Monday in New Delhi. “In the middle order, he ought to bat. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact location because of match-ups and right-left combinations based on the bowler. It also relies on the circumstances.”

Early in the season, Ponting recalled, Pant was a little unsure of his potential, particularly in terms of his wicketkeeping, but he had “gotten better and better every game.”

“He’s starting to get a bit more trust and belief in his body as well,” Ponting stated. “I believe that in the beginning, he had some misgivings about his abilities, particularly in the wicketkeeping department. He was fairly confident in his batting talents going into the event.

“I believe that as the game goes on, his batting gets better and better. Now that he’s back and playing, I’ve already been asked a lot of times in the previous few weeks what I believe his prospects are of winning the World Cup. He’ll definitely be in the squad, in my opinion. He can affect the game too much, in my opinion, because he is an overly skilled player. He is the lifeblood and spirit of the Delhi Capitals, and maybe he can help us win some more games going forward.”

After a 15-month hiatus owing to an automobile accident, Pant returned to competitive cricket and has amassed 254 runs with a strike rate of 150.29 in eight innings. In every game, he has kept wickets while batting mostly in the middle order, something Delhi’s support staff was a touch hesitant about at the beginning of the season. He’ll probably be up against Jitesh Sharma, KL Rahul, and Sanju Samson for the position.

After some outstanding performances in the 2024 Indian Premier League, Dinesh Karthik of the Royal Challengers Bengal stated on Saturday that he was eager to attempt and make the Indian World Cup squad as well.
By the end of April, India will have to choose their T20 World Cup team.

Ganguly: I want Rohit and Kohli to hit from the first ball in the World Cup

The starting lineup is another crucial decision that India’s selectors must make. It’s obvious that Rohit Sharma, who BCCI Jay Shah named captain in February, will open, but who will he pair with?

The current player, Yashasvi Jaiswal, has struggled with form in the IPL 2024, managing just 121 runs in seven innings. Although Ganguly doesn’t think Jaiswal’s chances have decreased, he is aware that India will need the experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the top of the order because they have handled pressure before.

Ganguly remarked, “We saw how Rohit batted at the 50-overs World Cup.” “He simply came out and smacked the first ball, and in the first seven or eight overs, we were able to put a lot of pressure on them. It allowed the lower hierarchy some breathing room.

“I believe Rohit and Virat ought to follow suit. They are excellent athletes. In T20 cricket, India’s priorities are paramount, as I expressed to Rahul [Dravid] in Australia following the previous T20 World Cup. “Just play fearlessly.” If you lose wickets, you can always manage the innings, so just keep hitting.”

Ganguly was questioned about Rahul and how, despite being a player of great talent, he was frequently criticized for his style of play in Twenty20 cricket.

“I think I think it depends on what the captain and the coach instruct him to do in the middle,” Ganguly stated. “He played an innings against Chennai [Super Kings] the other day, which Lucknow [Super Giants] won. He was amazing, in my opinion. He performed exactly what was asked of him and played brilliantly at the top of the order.

It’s about playing freely and fearlessly, like I mentioned before. And I’m hoping Rahul figures out a way to play T20 cricket. Players such as Virat, Rohit, Rishabh, Rahul, Surya [Suryakymar Yadav], and Shivam Dube has remarkable ability to knock sixes.”

This IPL, one of the main discussion topics has been the Impact Player. Is it bad for all-arounders’ development? Ganguly was questioned.

“A little bit, but good allrounders still play,” he replied. “Hardik Pandya continues to play. You examine. Playing in the XII straightaway is Rashid Khan. Yes, Glenn Maxwell has had a little vacation, but he gets started. We had Mitch Marsh start, but he didn’t receive enough runs. Jadeja represents Chennai, while Nitish Reddy represents Hyderabad. Narine and Russell are KKR players.”

Also Read: CSK Wins 2023 IPL Final to Crown Joint 5 Times Champions