Former India left-handed batter Suresh Raina believes Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant should bat at number four as it would allow him to have a crack at finishing the innings in IPL 2025 season. Pant, the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter, did not play for India in the ODIs against England and in the victorious Champions Trophy campaign, as KL Rahul was the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter. Moreover, with Sanju Samson making centuries against Bangladesh and South Africa in T20Is, it means that Pant has gone a bit down in the pecking order in the shortest format as well. In IPL 2025, as Lucknow Super Giants skipper, Pant will need a terrific season with the bat to be back in the India T20I set-up.
“I think this (season) will be very important for him. As you rightly said, he is not in that scheme currently. But I think if you see his captaincy, he is very cheerful and very innovative. He has that calmness and astute leadership. I really want him to play at number three.
“But looking at their squad, they have Pooran, David Miller, and Aiden Markram, I think he will be batting number four, as then they have a lot of depth in their batting line-up. So I really want him to bat at number four, as then probably he can play the role of finishing the innings for the LSG. But I think this IPL will change his fortune,” said Raina, an IPL expert for JioStar, to IANS in a virtual interaction prior to the 18th edition of the tournament.
Pant, who became IPL’s most expensive player when LSG roped him in for a record INR 27 crore at last year’s mega auction, had previously led Delhi Capitals in 43 matches. Raina also feels Pant has his task cut out in captaining LSG, as pacers Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep and Mohsin Khan are under injury cloud for various issues.
“Not to forget, I think a couple of bowlers they have are already injured – Mayank Yadav is ruled out, Mohsin Khan is not fit and Avesh Khan also struggling. Earlier they used to have a couple of quality all-rounders like Marcus Stoinis, but he has gone to Punjab.
“I think he has a lot of homework to do, though their batting looks very, very powerful. They have a good spinner like Bishnoi, and having Zaheer Khan in their team (as the mentor), he has heaps of experience and he will gel with Rishabh Pant really, really well,” added Raina, who’s won four IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings.
In IPL 2024, which marked his return to the game after recovering from a life-threatening car accident, Pant made 446 runs from 13 matches at a strike-rate of 155.40. But against spinners, Pant strike rate’s was at 119.53, while being dismissed five times by them.
Raina, who forged a great reputation for his slog-sweeps against spinners while being a mainstay for the Chennai Super Kings, was optimistic of Pant faring well against that bowling type in IPL 2025.
“I think Lucknow’s wicket is going to be a little different from the one in Delhi. In last year, he came after the operation and was a little restless too for performing. He hadn’t played that much before it, but now he is back. looks very, very fit and is now captain of the Lucknow team.
“You know how the hospitality is there in Lucknow and how they welcome. Lucknow will love him like anything, as he is their local boy now. I have a feeling he will do really, really well for LSG,” he said.
Hosting next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka elevates the importance of IPL 2025 performances for national team players. Raina expects that, along with Pant, the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar will pay close attention to how Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal perform in IPL 2025.
“(People will be looking at performances of) Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson – he hadn’t done well against England. So, the 3-4 players are there for the opening slot, especially with Rohit Sharma retiring from T20Is – so, that slot is empty. Then, Tilak Verma, he has done really well, so as Suryakumar Yadav at number three, as Virat doesn’t play T20Is anymore. So, I think the players in the middle will be very important.
“Kuldeep Yadav will be very important, as the way he bowls, he hasn’t played either (recent T20Is). Then apart from Sanju Samson, there’s Yashaswi Jaiswal, he has played only one 50-over game and you do know how much damage he can do at the top. So, Yashasvi, Tilak Verma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, this IPL 2025 will be very important for them.
“Rishabh Pant, as you rightly asked me earlier, it will be very important for him as the lefty-righty combination will form number three, four and five – with Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel being around. So, you need lefty-righty combination as now in T20s, you have to score 200. Plus, every batter should bowl and be ready to bat anywhere. So, these 4-5 players I mentioned, a lot of eyes will be there on them, including of the selectors, as tours will begin after IPL is over,” concluded Raina.
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