The Indian cricket team kicked off their ICC T20 World Cup 2024 journey with a dominating victory in the warm-up match against Bangladesh on June 1, and the hero of this match was the comeback star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant.
However, apart from Pant’s thrilling fifty, it was his batting position that became the talk of the town, and it led to the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma to come out and clear the notions, as the Men in Blue are set to kick off their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on Wednesday, June 5.
Well, after the BCCI announced the T20 World Cup squad, there were a lot of discussions around the ideal top-order combination, and the central debate has been whether Virat Kohli should open alongside captain Rohit in the tournament.
Amidst these debates, former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull, speaking to Cricbuzz, introduced a surprising twist by suggesting that Pant should bat at No. 3 for Team India in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean.
Rishabh Pant shines at No. 3 as India defeats Bangladesh in ICC T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up match
Doull’s idea gained momentum following India’s commanding 60-run victory over Bangladesh in their only T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up match against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Saturday, with Pant’s explosive performance at No. 3 being the highlight of the game.
After the early dismissal of opener Sanju Samson’s (1) and Rohit Sharma’s (23) struggle to find form on a tricky pitch, Pant stepped in and delivered a masterclass with his aggressive batting before being retired out at 53 against Bangladesh.
He smashed an electrifying fifty, hitting four sixes and as many boundaries in just 32 balls, to propel Team India to a formidable total of 182/5 in the warm-up game against Bangladesh in New York.
The Indian bowlers capitalized on this momentum, restricting Bangladesh to a paltry 122/9, with Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh each snaring two wickets and securing a comfortable win for the team.
His aggressive approach and fearless stroke play not only put the Bangladeshi bowlers under immense pressure and won the game for the Men in Blue, but also reignited discussions about his potential batting position in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Pant’s stellar performance at No. 3 in the warm-up match has fueled speculation about his batting position in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Many claimed that the left-handed batter’s ability to counter-attack and score quickly makes him a valuable asset at No. 3 for Team India in the mega ICC event.
Rohit Sharma clarifies India’s strategy amid Rohit Pant’s top-order speculations
However, after the warm-up match against Bangladesh, Indian captain Rohit Sharma addressed these speculations, stressing that the decision to send Pant at No. 3 was primarily experimental.
Rohit further emphasized that the Indian cricket team management was exploring different combinations, and they have not yet finalized the final batting line-up for the T20 World Cup 2024.
Rohit Sharma said: “We wanted to give Rishabh an opportunity to bat higher up the order and see how he performs in that role. We are keeping our options open. It’s important to have flexibility and depth in our batting order. We haven’t nailed the batting line-up yet; we wanted most guys to get a hit in the middle.”
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