Rishabh Pant has asked for experts to not compare his white-ball numbers with his Test achievements yet, saying he is too young to be judged.
Pant, 25, is already in line to be a Test great, having scored five hundreds, five nineties, and five other half-centuries in 31 matches. He has played crucial knocks for India across the globe and has established himself as one of the most exciting batters for the future.
Yet, his limited-overs numbers are nowhere as impressive. He averages 35.62 in ODIs and 22.43 in T20Is. In the latter, he strikes at 126 after 56 innings. He had to sit out for India’s initial games in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
However, Pant is not too bothered with his white-ball form. He insists that a call on his records should be taken after a few more years. Speaking to Harsha Bhogle on Amazon Prime India about the contrast between his performances in Test cricket and limited-overs formats, Pant said, “Records are just numbers, according to me. My white-ball record is not bad either. Comparison [between formats] is not a part of my life currently. I’m 24-25 years old. You can compare when I am 30 or 32 years old. Before that, there’s no logic in comparing.”
Pant also went on to add that he prefers batting at the top of the order in T20Is. He has opened five times, and has batted at No.3 on six occasions: “I would choose batting up the order in T20s and would choose batting at either four or five in ODIs. Anyway, I play at five in Test matches. My game plan changes if I have to bat at seven or eight, or at No.6. If I have to open, my game plan will be different. But, at the same time, where you can give your best for the team needs to be seen by the coach and the captain.”
