Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra reckons that Rishabh Pant should get due recognition from his contributions. Pant was not in contention for the upcoming
Asia Cup 2025 due to a fractured foot after injuring himself during the England tour. However, the star wicketkeeper-batter has been away from action in T20Is ever since India's T20 World Cup win in 2024, as Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma have become the preferred players for the job.
Chopra highlighted Pant's impressive numbers in T20Is, whether playing in the top-order or the middle. The cricketer-turned-commentator shed light on parameters such as strike rate and average, respectively. The Agra-born further felt Pant deserved to be in the mix while discussing the most impactful T20I batters for India, considering his performances in the T20 World Cup last year.
“When Rishabh Pant bats from numbers 1 to 3, he has scored his runs at a strike rate of 156 and has an average of 34, which is good. However, we will not talk about the top three. When you look from numbers 4 to 7, he has a strike rate of 140 and an average of 30. It’s still okay,” stated Chopra in a video on his YouTube channel.
“The one thing that goes in his favor, and I am very surprised that no one talks about it, is that he was India’s third-highest run-scorer in the T20 World Cup we won. It seems like a fly has been taken out of milk and thrown away. No one is talking about him. Of course, the IPL not being that good might be one of the reasons, but not even coming into the conversation is a strange one,” he added.
Pant could not bat in the second innings of the fourth Test and was subsequently ruled out of the fifth Test for India due to a fractured foot. He is yet to recover from the setback and was consequently sidelined from the 15-member Asia Cup 2025 squad. The Men in Blue will be hoping for a swift recovery. He is expected to be fit in time ahead of the upcoming home Tests against the West Indies in October.
