IND vs NZ, 3rd ODI: The problem of preferring reputation over performance continues with the Indian team. Cricket is a game that is played in three different formats and as far as Rishabh Pant's credentials in the white ball formats are considered, they are very much forgettable. The left-handed batsman who is considered one of the most prolific dashers has failed to fire, over and over again. On the other hand, there is Sanju Samson, who is begging for chances even after performing.
Rishabh Pant is the vice-captain of the team that is currently playing in New Zealand, but apart from that, he hasn't done anything else that justifies his place in the current Indian setup. Even if we consider the recently concluded T20 World Cup, Pant looked extremely mediocre and lackluster. Dinesh Karthik was considered ahead of him, but he was dropped too at the business end of the tournament. It is well understood that a player takes time to find his footing on the international level, but Pant has been given enough opportunities and he continues to fail. The biggest problem lies with his mindset to go hard on every ball. In the 3rd ODI that is being played in Christchurch, Pant repeated his age-old pattern once again. He was suffocating for runs, rather than trying to take singles, he tried to break free, played a rash shot, and fell prey to Daryl Mitchell.
Pant who made his ODI debut in 2017 has played 30 matches so far and has scored 865 runs at an average of 34.60. On the other hand, there is this curious case of Sanju Samson, who made his ODI debut for India in 2021. Samson so far has played 11 ODIs and has scored 33o runs at a staggering average of 66. As far as this series goes, Samson was stellar in the first ODI, but even after putting up a good show with the bat, the team management chose to ignore him. With the 2023 World Cup in sight, the Indian team management certainly needs to address the Pant conundrum and give more chances to players who have proved themselves.
