"I won't say that Rishabh Pant is a certainty for me in T20Is" - Wasim Jaffer
The stand-in skipper Rishabh Pant is currently leading Team India in the five-match T20I series against South Africa. The 24-year-old has faced a lot of critics after losing the first two games against the Proteas.
However, he managed to make a strong comeback in the next two games, as they defeated the visitors and levelled the series by 2-2.
Besides, likewise Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant didn't score a single half-century in the recently concluded IPL (Indian Premier League), scoring 340 runs after getting featured in 14 matches for Delhi Capitals.
In the ongoing series, KL Rahul has been ruled out before the start of the series and Rishabh Pant has been named as the skipper of the side. But the Uttarakhand-born cricketer hasn't been much effective with the bat and got poor numbers in this series as well.
He hasn’t done it in many T20Is: Wasim Jaffer
The former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has come with a bold statement after Rishabh Pant's consistent failures in the shortest format of the game.
Wasim Jaffer reckons that Rishabh Pant might lose his position with the comeback of KL Rahul and Dinesh Karthik who is in sublime form and can also keep the wickets if needed.
In that case, Wasim Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo, "You've got KL Rahul. Once he comes back, he walks into the side. He's a wicketkeeper as well. If Dinesh Karthik is certain to play, then again, he is also a wicketkeeper. So, I am not too sure. The way Rishabh Pant has played recently, I won't call him a certainty."
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"I think he still needs to score runs and score them pretty consistently. He hasn't done that in the IPL. He hasn't done it in many T20Is.
I've said that many times – the way he has played in Test cricket, the way he has played in quite a few ODI innings as well, he hasn't done that in T20Is. So, I won't say that Rishabh Pant is a certainty for me (in T20Is) going forward," said Wasim Jaffer to ESPNcricinfo.