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Former India cricketer Suresh Raina has termed India’s wicketkeeper batter, Rishabh Pant, as an X-factor and has demanded his inclusion in India’s all T20 World Cup games. Raina has said that as India doesn’t have a left-handed batter in top-6 and the management may include Pant along with Hardik Pandya for that X-factor.
The former cricketer cited a few examples of left-handed batters who have done a terrific job for India. Raina cited examples of Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, and himself and remembered how these players changed the game in India’s favour. Raina cited Pant’s numbers in Australia to back his argument.
"I would say the presence of a left-handed batter would be very important in the middle," Raina said in an exclusive interview with PTI on Friday. He added: "From No. 1-6, we don't have a left-hander and I'm sure the opponents will have two-three left-handed bowlers. We have seen it in the past -- 2007, 2011 and 2013 -- the role Gauti, Yuvi Pa and I played.
"You need to bring the X factor with Hardik and who can be the X factor? I think Rishabh being a left-hander could be better," the 35-year-old responded to a query about whether India should prefer Pant over Dinesh Karthik as the wicketkeeper-batter. "A left-right combination can upset the rhythm, especially when the grounds in Australia are big. It's important to have a left-handed batter in the middle. Pant has done really well in Australia and won the Test series there. So we'll see."
Pandya will be key for India: Raina
The former India cricketer also named the key player for India at the T20 World Cup 2022. Raina picked all-rounder Hardik Pandya over KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli as the key player.
"Remember Pandya would be the main player for Team India. He will bowl those crucial overs in the powerplay and some in the middle and his role would be most important when he comes on to bat, when we would be needing 60-70 runs off 30 balls. So his role would be very important for Team India to win the World Cup," said Raina about Pandya.