NZ v IND 2019: Gavaskar plays down Rishabh Pant's failure in the Wellington T20I

The wicketkeeper batsman couldn't find his timing on the night.

Mitchell Santner got Pant out | Getty

Sunil Gavaskar doesn't think Rishabh Pant's poor batting performance during the first T20I versus New Zealand should be a major cause of worry for the Indian team management. 

Explosive wicketkeeper batsman scored an abnormal 10-ball 4 as India badly failed in their quest to chase down the huge 220-run target.

But one certain legendary cricketer isn't worried about Pant's chances of selection in country's squad for this year's ICC Cricket World Cup in England & Wales. 

"I don't think so [Wellington knock hampered his chances of sealing a World Cup berth],"  Gavaskar told India Today, "There are five more matches in India as well the 50-over matches and the T20I matches against the Australians where Rishabh can make an impact."

"And he just arrived in New Zealand. Believe me, it's very tough to score straightway when you have travelled. The jetlag was still around maybe. I am not trying to make excuses for the young man, it's just one match and anybody can fail. It's not a big deal."

It was one of those days for India, where nothing went according to the plan. They selected badly, bowled poorly and batted even worse. But one would back this Rohit Sharma-led side to come back and win the second T20I in Auckland on February 8. 

"It was the first match of the T20I series. You're trying to sort of assess the strengths and weaknesses of not just your team but also your opposition," Gavaskar added, "I wouldn't be too worried about it. T20I can be very unpredictable. The best of teams can lose on the day."

"I think what India is looking at with this T20I how maybe some of the players can be looked at for the 50-over World Cup, which is a couple of month's time."

"So maybe that's the reason why Vijay Shankar got the promotion. So if the team is looking to experiment at this stage, I won't be worried too much about the result."

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 07 Feb, 2019

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