Former Australia international Brad Hogg has called on Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting to ‘take the shackles off’ Rishabh Pant ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 final encounter against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday (November 10). Pant, who is normally known for his aggressive style of batting especially in the shorter formats of the game, has had a subdued IPL by his standards. He has scored 287 runs in 13 games so far at an average of 28.70 and a strike rate of 109.12, which as far as returns go are modest even by the standards of someone who doesn’t possess Pant’s ability to clear the ropes on a regular basis. (IPL 2020 | IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP)
Hogg believes that is because coach Ponting has asked Pant to take more responsibility in the middle yet added that ‘you can’t hold back’ a player like Pant, saying he has the ability to take the game away from the opposition on his day.
“I think Rishabh Pant has been told by Ricky Ponting to play a little more conservative this year. He wants him to bat right through the innings, have a lot more ‘not outs’ against his name,” Hogg said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.
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“This guy is a maverick. He’s an entertainer. He goes out there and he dominates bowling attacks. You can’t hold him back. Look at the last couple of series, he’s had strike-rates of over-150. He has taken the game away from the opposition players,” he added.
“Take the shackles off him ahead of the next match, let him loose and let him entertain the public please, Ricky Ponting. We want to see the best of Rishabh Pant.”
Nevertheless, Pant’s lack of form with the bat has not hampered DC as they are set to play in their maiden IPL final.
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