Follow UsLucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant returned back to form with a 43-ball 69 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, but former India opener Wasim Jaffer wants the wicketkeeper-batter to work on strike rotation.
Pant smashed four sixes and as many fours in his knock against CSK but played 21 dot deliveries, particularly struggling against left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad (6 off 15 balls). Amongst batters who have faced at least 50 deliveries in the IPL 2025, Pant has the worst dot ball percentage (48.4%).
"I don't know whether he looks to do that (rotate strike). Kohli is a master at that. He gets off strike so nicely as he can play all around. But Pant sometimes does get stuck, and that's the issue. Then he goes for that big shot. I just feel he needs to get better at rotating strike as well,” Jaffer said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut.
Jaffer also wants him to look for boundaries down the ground. "I feel he never looks to hit straight. He always looks to go towards the leg side, towards square leg, cow corner. He hit one straight six right towards the end (against CSK). Otherwise, at the start of the innings, he was always looking to go towards the leg side, or that reverse scoop that he played, but that was the only thing.
"A lot of the time, the teams stack up the fielders in that area as well. So I think he needs to access down the ground a lot more."
Another former India opener Abhinav Mukund added: “I still feel Pant has so much to offer when he is moving around, contrary to what you hear a lot of commentators and players saying that he needs to stay still and hit.
“I like Pant when he is moving around. It feels like he is more proactive, accessing over cover, accessing straight. It felt like that cover area was closed today for business for him and that's a bit concerning."
LSG lost to CSK by five wickets, with MS Dhoni and Co. chasing down the 167-run target in 19.3 overs.