Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg predicted a big IPL 2023 for the Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Rishabh Pant, despite his ongoing struggles in limited-overs cricket.
However, Hogg admitted that Pant failed to replicate his Test success in ODI and T20I cricket for Team India, and that’s something he wants the left-hander to improve on.
As the focus will soon shift to the IPL 2023, the Aussie urged his former Australia teammate and DC head coach, Ricky Ponting, to let Pant open the innings for Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2023.
The former spinner feels Pant can do real damage in the first six overs, so Ponting should take a bold call, and that’s something the fans would get to see in the upcoming IPL 16.
Brad Hogg said on his YouTube channel: “The only thing that I want to see with Rishabh Pant right now is improvement in white-ball formats. When the field is spread, he doesn’t seem to have much success as he has in Test cricket.
He’s up there at the IPL with Ricky Ponting. I think we’ll see a big IPL from Rishabh Pant this year. He’ll attack the game differently and he’ll have a different role. Hopefully, Ricky Ponting gets him to open rather than (sending him) down the list.”
He signed off by saying, “With the powerplay, with only two fielders out, those six overs is where he can really do some damage in T20 cricket. It’s the same in the 50-over game. Try and get him to open, where he can blast away in those first 10 overs with only two out. In the next 30 overs, you can only have four out. There are still one or two places in the outfield where he can attack.”
(Hindustan Times inputs)
