‘Very surprised’: Cheteshwar Pujara baffled by Rishabh Pant’s underwhelming IPL record
Cheteshwar Pujara expressed surprise at Rishabh Pant's modest IPL record, attributing it to mindset and clarity issues rather than technique. Pujara suggested Pant needs to develop his off-side game and questioned if captaincy burdens are impacting his T20 performances. He believes focusing solely on his batting could significantly boost Pant's success.
NEW DELHI: Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has admitted he finds it “very surprising” that Rishabh Pant has not been able to dominate the IPL the way he has conquered Test cricket, saying the wicketkeeper-batter’s T20 numbers do not reflect his immense talent. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Speaking as a JioHotstar CTV Hindi feed expert, Pujara said Pant remains one of the finest all-format batters in the country but believes clarity of thought and mindset issues may be holding him back in T20 cricket. “I am also very surprised because someone like Rishabh Pant who can attack any bowler in Test cricket and his IPL, when we just look at the stats, it is not as good as in Test cricket,” Pujara said during an interaction with reporters on Wednesday. Pant’s contrast between formats has increasingly become a talking point.
While he remains India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in Tests, he is no longer part of the T20I setup and is currently behind KL Rahul in the ODI pecking order. In 49 Tests, Pant has scored 3476 runs with eight centuries and 18 fifties, including memorable hundreds in England, Australia and South Africa. In comparison, his IPL numbers — 3757 runs in 134 matches at a strike rate of 146 with two centuries — are considered modest for a batter of his reputation.
‘It’s more about mindset than technique’ Pujara insisted that Pant does not require major technical changes but needs greater clarity in his approach during T20 innings. “I think it is the mindset thing also. There has to be some more clarity in the way Rishabh plays,” Pujara explained.