Indian head coach Rahul Dravid has revealed the team management never lost confidence in Rishabh Pant even if the wicket-keeper batter was not given his chance in the first four matches of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022. Pant was drafted into the playing XI in place of Dinesh Karthik against Zimbabwe at the SCG, Sydney on Sunday.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma revealed that they wanted to give the left-handed batter some game time before the semifinal stages if he is needed in the knockout stages.
However, Pant once again could not grab his chance as he was dismissed for only three runs after Ryan Burl took a fine catch at the boundary.
Dravid revealed that they have confidence in each of their 15 players in the squad and Pant has been keeping himself match-ready as he is consistently practicing in the nets.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s not that we ever lost confidence in Rishabh. We have got confidence in all the 15 players in the squad. It’s only 11 guys who can play. It depends on the combination that you have to play,” Dravid said.
“The very fact that they are here and part of the World Cup tells you that we have confidence in them. It means that any time we can call them to play. When you pick 15 from so many other options, that means you have got a lot of confidence in your 15. Some people, sometimes, miss out.
“Rishabh has been batting a lot in the nets, do a lot of wicketkeeping practice, he is keeping himself ready,” he added.
Dravid was not bothered that Pant could not take his chance and felt the left-hander took the right option of attacking Sean Williams despite facing only four balls.
“It didn’t kind of work out today after we gave him an opportunity. I am absolutely not bothered at all. I think he took the right option. His role was to take on the left-arm spinner which was there, sometimes, it comes off and sometimes it doesn’t,” Dravid said.
“We don’t judge players based on one game and whether we play a player or not is not based on one game. It’s based on match-ups and what are the skills that we need. A lot of things go into these kinds of decisions,” he added.
India will take on England in the second semifinals at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
