Nehra backs Pant to make World Cup squad, says he is a match-winner
Rishabh Pant is a pure match-winner ---can be a back-up opener and an effortless six-hitter in the class of Rohit Sharma--and there is more than one reason why he merits selection in the World Cup squad, former India pacer Ashish Nehra said on Thursday.
Nehra said there are five reasons why the dynamic youngster should be included in the eleven.
“In a team, there will always be contributors but at a big event like the World Cup, you need players with X-factor. Pant is not a mere contributor but a matchwinner who should be picked for the World Cup,” he said.
Nehra, a key member of the 2011 World Cup-winning team, said: “If you look at the batting line up, save Shikhar (Dhawan), there aren’t any left-handers in the top seven. You need variety with a left-right combination and Rishabh perfectly fits.”
The 21-year-old scored Test hundreds in his first series in England and Australia.
“Rishabh can bat at any position from No 1 to 7 and so Virat (Kohli) and the team management can use him as a floater.”
Nehra said Pant’s big-hitting and fearlessness can be useful in pressure situations.
“When it comes to effortlessly hitting sixes, Rishabh comes second only to Rohit Sharma,” Nehra said.
Nehra felt Pant has shown his ability to win matches single-handedly. “No disrespect, this team has three clear match-winners --- Kohli, Rohit and Bumrah. For me, the fourth is going to be Pant.
“Rayudu, Jadhav and Karthik are fantastic players but are in the same mould. You need X-factor which this boy has.”
Asked whether a seasoned finisher like Karthik could be overlooked, Nehra said both can play.
“Rishabh could also be your third opener, DK could be your middle-order batter.”
Nehra said Karthik and Pant can’t be seen as mere stand-in keepers. “If Rishabh and DK are being picked ahead of batsmen like Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer, then you are looking at them as specialist batsmen. So why complicate the thought process? We have Dhoni, so treat both as specialist batsmen.”