Rohit Sharma Explains Rishabh Pant’s Promotion in Batting Order for T20 World Cup Clash Against Pakistan

June 9, 2024 0 873

Rohit Sharma explained promoting Rishabh Pant and excluding Yashasvi Jaiswal for the Pakistan match, citing Pant’s IPL performance.

India captain Rohit Sharma has shed light on the team’s recent batting order changes, with Rishabh Pant promoted to number four and young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal missing out on selection for the crucial T20 World Cup match against Pakistan on June 9th.

Pant, returning from a break, impressed Sharma with his performance in the initial stages of the IPL 2024. “I had to see Pant in a few IPL games to decide where I wanted to play him during the World Cup. When I saw him during the first half of the tournament, I was really happy with his performance,” Sharma said, as quoted by NDTV Sports.

Justifying Pant’s new position, Sharma explained the strategic advantage. “With three right-handers at the top, it’s nice to have him in the middle. When we move ahead in the tournament, spinners will play a big role, and his counterattacking ability against spin will be important,” said Sharma.

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While Jaiswal, a standout batter for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, was initially expected to be included, his aggressive style of play seems to have led to his omission, at least for the Pakistan match. “Jaiswal is that guy who can play with freedom. There is a bit of weakness as well, but I want to focus on his strengths. I think he has got an all-round game, which I would like to utilise more and get him to play more balls,” remarked the Indian skipper.

Sharma emphasised that the opening position is the only fixed spot in the batting order. “Besides the openers, none of the guys’ positions are fixed. We want to be flexible about these positions. Some guys love certain entry points into the game, and we would like to think about it,” concluded Sharma.