India vs New Zealand: Rishabh Pant should open for India in T20Is, says Wasim Jaffer

India vs New Zealand, 1st T20I: Wasim Jaffer supported Rishabh Pant to open the batting in the first game of the three match T20I series at Wellington’s Sky Stadium.

IND vs NZ: Rishabh Pant should open for India in T20Is, says Wasim Jaffer. Courtesy: Reuters

By India Today Web Desk: Former batsman Wasim Jaffer felt that Rishabh Pant should open the bat for Team India in their upcoming three-game T20I series against New Zealand side Kane Williamson.

Picking India’s XI for the first T20I at Sky Stadium in Wellington, Jaffer selected Pant as the opener alongside Shubman Gill, who has yet to wear the national colors in the shortest format.

Pant was in and out of the team as Dinesh Karthik was India’s first choice in the T20 World Cup on Australian soil.

Jaffer said if Pant opens the batting he could take India to flying starts more often than not.

“The best place for Pant to bat is at the top of the league table,” Jaffer said on ESPNcricinfo.

“When fielders get up and Pant gets to work at the start of the innings, he becomes a dangerous player as he bats in Tests and ODIs. Once he gets a 20-30 start, he’s dangerous. I don’t think outfield players aren’t important to him,” he said.

“When he comes in at number 5, he is under pressure and it is difficult for him to hit sixes. Pant is the kind of player you want to jump-start India with,” said Jaffer.

Jaffer also omitted Bhuvneshwar Kumar and preferred Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel as the three fast bowlers.

India has all their last eight bilateral T20Is against New Zealand since 2020. After whitewashing the Black Caps 5-0 two years ago, India won 3-0 at home last year.

Wasim Jaffer’s India XI for 1st T20I

Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (center), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Harshal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh