India’s team for the World Cup 2019 is all set barring the one or two spots as mentioned by head coach Ravi Shastri after their fifth ODI win against New Zealand in Wellington on Sunday, former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar has batted for the inclusion of Rishabh Pant in the squad before India finalise their team.
Pant had made his ODI debut in 2018 against West Indies. He scored only 41 runs in two innings at 20.50 and at a strike rate of 132.2. However, it was his remarkable Australia Test series that left cricket fraternity absolutely impressed. He scored 350 runs at an average over 55 and it included his remarkable 159 in the fourth Test in Sydney.
“I would also keep Rishabh Pant. He brings that left-handedness in the top lineup as well. And I would look at playing him in the team. I will look to play him in the five one-dayers that India plays against Australia in about two weeks time. That will give us a fair idea about how the young kid is shaping up and give him some little more responsibility at say 4 or 5 because at No.6 or 7 he just going to bang…bang and blast it around and that is not what you want to see. What we want to see is may be something like what happened today, three wickets down with not too many and then he comes in and looks to play the ones and the twos, settle down and then hit the big shots to score 70 or 80 or even a hundred. That left-handed option in the middle order is very crucial. All I am saying, take a punt with Rishabh Pant” Gavaskar said.
