T20 World Cup 2024, Super Eight, Australia vs India - Will the Rishabh Pant Factor make a difference? - Cricket Winner

If I was there we would have won the World Cup- Rishabh Pant. Had I been in the middle order we would have made 300 or 150, again a statement by Rishabh Pant on the FInal he missed.

Three down, openers and Shreyas Iyer gone, with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul patiently trying to reconstruct the innings. 19th November had India on the back foot early. Rohit Sharma started well, and Virat Kohli supported him nicely, but Rohit Sharma’s wicket quickly put India on the back foot. While Virat Kohli tried to rotate the strike, KL Rahul struggled to do the same in the middle overs with India failing to find the ropes. The game slipped away between overs 20 and 40. Only one boundary and no intent had seen the run rate go down to below five.

Cut back six months earlier. Mohammad Shami and Mohammad Siraj bowled a really good spell to set up the first innings in the WTC Finals. They had Warner, Khawaja, and Labuschagne back in the hut. The other bowlers though could not hold the intensity and the shoulders dropped early from the fielders as Travis Head and Steve Smith commanded the game. When India batted as well, the aggression was not there with the middle order falling away. Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja tried, and Virat Kohli gave it a try in the second innings as well but the pressure kept building.

It was in times like those where India missed a wicketkeeper who helps raise shoulders with his chirping and a batter who likes to believe. With Rishabh Pant around, India has already seen some changes in the current tournament. Facing Pakistan on a tough New York track the other batters struggled to get going. The uneven bounce kept getting the better of them and the boundaries were missing.

Rishabh Pant though at the other end kept chancing his luck. As he did on his way to his great knocks at the Gabba, Centurion, and Sydney, Rishabh Pant took the bowlers on. He got some lives on the way. However, as they say, fortune favors the brave is something that works well in Rishabh Pant’s case. With him in the middle, the entertainment was on. Boundaries kept coming in New York and India were on course for 160 with 80 in the first ten overs.

Cut back to 19th November. Rishabh Pant in the middle order with India struggling. Would he have knocked the ball around? Probably not. Rishabh Pant is not one to go without trying. With Australia dictating the show in the middle overs, bowling their fifth bowlers, he would have taken them on. What ifs and hypothetical situations though can only get the imagination so far. Rishabh Pant himself stated that had he been there India could have got over 300 or they may have even been all-out for 150.

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The bottom line though is that his intent has been missing at the big stage. His career has seen him be the one who enforces the change in the Indian line-up and that change has brought a lot of unexpected success for the Indian Team. His style of play was evident against Pakistan and with an important game against Australia, Rishabh Pant has a chance to show that his style of play can make the same impact when the going gets tough. He was missed when India faced Australia in the two Finals last year. He was the one who gave India some famous Test wins against the same Australia. Now, he has a chance to show that he is a big difference against his favorite side.