'He must open...'— Former India cricketer urges Rishabh Pant to play as top order batter

Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa urges Rishabh Pant to play as an opener or as a number 3 batter. Uthappa feels that Pant can be more impactful if he comes to bat early in matches.

Rishabh Pant had a tough time in 2025. He played back-to-back matches in the Tests for Team India but was heavily criticised for his batting nature. On multiple occasions, when the team needed him most as a batter, the middle-order batter misfired, mostly for choosing wrong shots.

BCCI announced the T20I squad for the India vs New Zealand series and T20I World Cup 2026 without Rishabh Pant, which put a question mark on the southpaw's T20I career. Pant hasn't made a T20I appearance since July 2024. He can make his international return to ODIs, as he has been included in the squad for the series against the Black Caps, starting from January 11.

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Pant had a dismal IPL 2025 campaign as the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain, scoring 269 runs in 14 matches. LSG picked the keeper-batter for an INR 27 crore fee from the IPL Mega Auction. Throughout the tournament, Pant played as a middle-order batter, only to register one century and one half-century. Uthappa believes that the batter can do better if he chooses to come as a top-order batsman.

Robin Uthappa urged Rishabh Pant to open

"I believe that if he opens or plays at three, we will see the best of him soon. I was very happy when he was playing at three in the 2024 T20 World Cup. He is such a batter who should get more balls in T20 cricket," Uthappa said on a YouTube video.

"He should be given the freedom of the power play. I was so frustrated that he was the captain of LSG and batting at five. If this reaches him, bro, please open it; you will shake Indian T20 cricket. He even scored that hundred at number three last year."