IND vs NZ: India on Tuesday secured another T20I series win against the New Zealand side as the third and final T20I ended in a tie. The Indian team, led by Hardik Pandya featured the young players getting more opportunities in the absence of senior players. Due to this, wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant also got to open the innings but the Southpaw could not impress much. Now, fellow wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik has opened up on Pant's T20I run and stated that he needs to step in on the opportunities.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, the right-handed Indian wicketkeeper stated that Rishabh Pant is a player to watch when he keeps going but the Southpaw would want to improve on his flaws and needs to step in more. On being asked whether Pant needs to relook at the similar short ball pattern of getting out, Karthik stated, "It is possible, with risk comes reward as well. So, when he gets going, it is one of the short he plays. But yes, he sometimes tends to get out in a similar fashion and that is one thing he would be aware of and that is one of the areas he wants to improve on," Karthik stated.
Karthik then stated that Pant gets more opportunities in comparison to the likes of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan and the 25-year-old needs to step in due to this fact. "Rishabh Pant's biggest advantage in comparison to his peers Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan is that the fact that he almost plays all three formats. If he keeps on going he is a player that looks very good and he plays a million-dollar shot," Karthik added.
Karthik added, "He is going to play the ODIs (against New Zealand) and then Tests against Bangladesh. He gets a lot more opportunities than these guys. Sometimes the other two guys might not get many opportunities and I feel bad for them. But this is where Rishabh Pant needs to step in and move forward with his T20 cricket."
India wrapped the T20I series by 1-0 after the rain ended the third match in a tie. India and New Zealand will now lock horns in a three-match ODI series starting on November 25.
