Rishabh Pant\u2019s day in Jaipur could hardly have gone worse. Even before he took the field against the Rajasthan Royals, the national selectors landed two setbacks for the India wicketkeeper-batter\u2014first dropping him from the ODI squad, and then, more painfully, removing him from the leadership picture in Tests, the format where he has been among the most influential performers. Pant had previously served as vice-captain to Shubman Gill on the demanding England tour last year. With Gill unavailable, Pant captained India in their most recent Test, against South Africa in Guwahati.<\/p>\n
After the off-field blows, the evening unfolded with more drama on the match stage. Pant went for the toss and had an awkward moment with Ian Bishop\u2014later framed as a misunderstanding, though it quickly gained attention. By the end of the night, Pant had suffered a defeat and faced another uncomfortable interaction during an interview, one that is expected to invite disciplinary scrutiny. The controversy also spilled into the wider IPL chatter, with incredulity growing over remarks calling LSG a \u201cf***ing good team\u201d despite sitting at the bottom of the standings after winning only four of their 13 games.<\/p>\n
In the match itself, Pant was again central to the slowdown that kept Lucknow Super Giants short of the score they appeared capable of chasing or setting. He came in when LSG were 151 for 2 in the 13th over and scored 35 off 23 balls. But as the innings progressed, Lucknow tapered off and finished on 220, a total that ultimately proved insufficient.<\/p>\n
Pant has now featured in all 27 of LSG\u2019s matches since joining the franchise in a record-breaking deal worth INR 27 crore. Across that stretch, he has amassed 555 runs at a strike rate of 136.69, which is noticeably below his career benchmark of 144.18. He has also been candid about the \u201ctoo many minds\u201d surrounding leadership at LSG, where the group includes high-profile figures such as Justin Langer, Tom Moody and Kane Williamson, alongside the well-regarded bowling coach Bharat Arun.<\/p>\n
One of those voices\u2014possibly the key one outside the captain and the owner\u2014brought a fresh dose of disappointment for Pant at the press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, Rishabh has been around for a long time,\u201d Langer said. \u201cI think he started playing in the Indian side when he was 18 years old. He understands it. And numbers don\u2019t lie. So he would be the first to admit it\u2019s been two very disappointing seasons for him with the bat.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has had some great innings, but he\u2019ll be disappointed with those numbers. You know, you expect a lot from your senior players, and he\u2019ll be feeling it as much as anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pant\u2019s IPL journey with Lucknow has also reflected the uncertainty around his best fit. He began his stint at LSG batting at No. 4, but finished the previous season with a century from No. 3. This year, he opened in the first match, then moved to No. 3 quickly. The results have meant he has had to slide down the order again to make the most of Nicholas Pooran\u2019s position in the batting lineup.<\/p>\n
With Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis delivering strong early dividends for the side, and with Aiden Markram being used as the No. 4 option after Pooran at 3, the question of Pant\u2019s ideal slot remains open. In that setup, it is now being suggested that Pant may need to adapt further\u2014perhaps even taking inspiration from his idol MS Dhoni by training to function as a lower-order six-hitter.<\/p>\n
Rishabh Pant\u2019s day in Jaipur could hardly have gone worse. Even before he took the field against the Rajasthan Royals, the national selectors landed two…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Rishabh Pant IPL Update: Dropped, Test Role Removed","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Rishabh Pant faces a tough Jaipur twist: dropped from the ODI squad and stripped of his Test role\u2014what it means for his IPL comeback.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n