Rishabh Pant just needs confidence. He should just come and play and enjoy his cricket. When he does that, he does well' Rohit Sharma
India's Rishabh Pant walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal during the 2019 Cricket World Cup group stage match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham, central England, on June 30, 2019. Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP
There was a big debate when Rishabh Pant did not make it to India's World Cup team. When he was named as an injury replacement to Shikhar Dhawan, there were questions over when will the young, explosive wicketkeeper-batsman play?
And with Vijay Shankar failing to grab his opportunity in the matches against Afghanistan and West Indies, the call for Pant's inclusion became louder. When he finally played on Sunday against England here at Edgbaston, in place of injured Vijay Shankar, questions were raised over whether it was right to send the World Cup debutant at No. 4 in a high- pressure chase. Pant scored a 29- ball 32 that included four boundaries. India vice-captain Rohit Sharma left everyone in splits at the press conference on Sunday.
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"All you guys wanted Rishabh Pant to play, right? all you guys, right, from India… where is Rishabh Pant? Where is Rishabh Pant? There he is at No. 4," said Rohit.
"He needed some time in the middle and see what the pitch is doing; get used to the conditions as quickly as possible. So, I think it was the right move to send him at that number because, again, we know what he can do with the bat. He just needs confidence. He should just come and play and enjoy his cricket. When he does that, he does well," added Rohit.
India's assistant coach Sanjay Bangar said the team management will persist with Pant at the No. 4 position. "He had decent innings, played a couple of good shots and got a partnership going. So yes, we are going to persist with Rishabh," said Bangar.
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