If You Don’t Take Responsibility, You Cannot Help Your Team Win Games: Kaif on Pant
New Delhi: Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif criticized Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant despite the team’s win over Kolkata Knight Riders and said the wicketkeeper-batsman needs to improve his game awareness and take more responsibility for consistent results.
Despite Pant’s underwhelming 10-run knock and poor top-order performance, LSG managed to win a last-ball thriller by three wickets in Kolkata on Thursday, thanks to Mukul Choudhary’s six-pack half-century in a difficult situation.
Pant has performed erratically, scoring two below-par scores either side of half-centuries in the three matches he has played so far.
Pointing out the inconsistency, Kaif said that an experienced player like him should have batted throughout the chase and not taken his wicket.
“…the team needed him to stay till the end,” Kaif told Star Sports.
“He is an experienced player, he has been in the IPL since 2016. When he came out to bat, the situation was not particularly difficult. LSG had already scored 41 in the first five overs. A batsman was supposed to take responsibility and bat throughout the chase. That role was meant for Pant.
“If you don’t take responsibility as captain, you cannot help your team win matches. Yes, he did well against SRH, but he needs to find consistency. It is not enough to bat well and fail in the next few matches. He needs to read the match situation better and learn when to switch gears,” he said.
Kaif advised Pant to try to hold the crease and spend more time at the wicket.
“A captain’s duty is to stay there till the end of the chase and that is something Pant needs to work on.”
India legend Sunil Gavaskar said that LSG won this season despite the lackluster performances of their main players and they did not rely entirely on them.
“They (LSG) were in a tough situation but with the help of the youngsters they pulled off a miraculous win. Mitchell Marsh couldn’t score many runs, Aiden Markram scored just 22, Pant and Pooran also failed to start.
“Despite their main batsmen struggling, LSG still saved themselves and secured the win. Last year, they relied completely on their main players. This season, they are winning without relying on them,” Gavaskar said.
He also expressed concern over the form of powerful hitter Nicholas Pooran, saying the West Indian cricketer “looks lost”.
“What worries LSG is Nicholas Pooran’s poor form. He had lost his touch against KKR and LSG shifted him to the middle order because they wanted more firepower there.”
“But he looked lost. He was swinging his bat at every ball hoping to get some contact with the bat but this is not the Pooran we know. LSG has to find a way to make Pooran regain his confidence,” Gavaskar said.
He said that despite the failure of their best batsmen, LSG’s win had a positive side as they now know that their young players like Mukul Choudhary are capable of pulling off a heist.
“Despite being at 104 for 5 after 13 overs, they still managed to win with all their main batsmen on the bench. This gives LSG confidence. They know their fearless youngsters will come to a good point at some point and that belief alone can take them a long way.
“This is the incredible innings of the fearless genius Mukul Choudhary. What I love about IPL is that we see something different every day. Here, it is Mukul Choudhary who stands out and helps his team cross the finish line. This guy is a young boy batting at number five for Rajasthan in domestic T20 cricket.
“He has just arrived in the IPL, he is playing incredible knocks and has everyone talking about him. The confidence he showed and the way he executed his shots was absolutely amazing to watch,” added Gavaskar.
