Former England skipper Nasser Hussian reckons Rishabh Pant will be a threat if he plays in the all-important semi-final against England at Adelaide Oval on Thursday. Pant was given a chance in the last Super 12 match against Zimbabwe but he could not grab his opportunity as he was dismissed after scoring only three runs.
However, Dinesh Karthik was preferred ahead of Pant in the first four matches of the T20 World Cup but the former has also not been able to deliver the goods for the team.
Pant, if he plays, will be the solitary left-hander in the middle order and many boffins reckon that he can take the attack against leg-spinner Adil Rashid. The southpaw is known to change the game on its head and he has an impressive record while playing in Australian conditions. Furthermore, Pant had scored a fine knock of 125 runs in the third ODI against England in the recent tour.
While speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, the former England skipper said: “India may even get stronger because there are rumors that Rishabh Pant might come in. Obviously, DK is one of the all-time players to play for India, but Pant’s record against England is phenomenal, he plays Adil Rashid very well and is very good square of the wicket. So, Pant will be a threat if he plays.”
Meanwhile, Hussain believes India has a formidable batting line-up but only two batters – Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav – are in form. Kohli has scored 246 runs while SKY has amassed 225 runs in five matches.
“India has a formidable line-up, but only two of them are in form at the moment and they lost to South Africa as well.”
Hussain added: “They only just got over the line against Pakistan, so they definitely can be beaten.”
Apart from Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul has hit two half-centuries in the last two matches against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. However, the form of Rohit Sharma is definitely a concern for the Indian team.
Both India and England have quality players in their respective teams and it would be interesting to note which team will come out on top.
