Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant has been under scrutiny after he came to bat at number seven with just two balls remaining in the innings in a match against Delhi Capitals at Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 22. The left-hander couldn’t score a single run on those two balls and got out on a duck. Reacting to this, former cricketer Ambati Rayudu sent out a stern message to Pant and asked him to take control of LSG”s batting lineup without giving any excuses.
Rishabh Pant hasn’t also looked in great touch with the bat this year as he could scored only 106 runs in nine matches with one fifty. “Pant really needs to take control of the decisions that are being made at LSG. He needs to come up the order. He cannot give any more excuses. He is the captain and it is a captain’s sport. We all acknowledge that. Going forward, LSG need to make a few changes: maybe get Mayank Yadav in. Also Pant has to bat slightly higher. You are visibly quite tensed about the whole situation,” Ambati Rayudu said in his conversation with Star Sports after DC’s win over LSG last night.
Pant really needs to take the onus on himself: Ambati Rayudu
Speaking further, Ambati Rayudu said that Rishabh Pant should take the responsibility of the LSG team by himself, being the captain of the franchise. The wicketkeeper was bought for a whopping INR 27 Crore in the mega auction last year, making him the most expensive buy in IPL history. However, his performance with the bat hasn’t been that impressive this season so far. Along with this, the franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka has also been in much limelight this season looking at his history with the former skipper KL Rahul. Notably, Goenka also shared a sarcastic smile when Pant got out for a two-ball duck in a match against Delhi Capitals.
“I feel Pant really needs to take the onus on himself," Rayudu said. “He really needs to take the decisions on his own. Sometimes these visuals are not really good if you are a good team. Because you want everything to be closed doors. You want everything to be said indoors. And also you don’t want any dirty laundry to be washed outside," he further added.
