The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced Rishabh Pant as the skipper of the Indian men’s cricket team for the T20I series against South Africa on Wednesday, citing KL Rahul’s absence due to a right groin injury.
The selectors did not name a replacement for Rahul, with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan being the main assigned openers on the Indian side, and Venkatesh Iyer not having opened for India.
Rishabh Pant speaks about KL Rahul’s replacement in 1st T20I
Rishabh Pant hinted ahead of the first T20I against South Africa that Gaikwad, the Chennai Super Kings batsman, will replace Rahul at the top of the order and take the crease with Ishan Kishan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on June 9. (Thursday).
“I think there would not be many changes in the batting order as KL would have opened. There will be one change for sure, we do not have many openers… You guys can guess. We will discuss the team after some time. It’s a very good feeling although it didn’t come in good circumstances. The news just came in for me as well an hour back so I’m also processing it. I haven’t even digested the information yet. It is a great feeling getting this opportunity, especially in my hometown,” Pant said.
“My batting order will depend on the conditions. In these conditions, we can’t have a floating batting line-up because we play spinners day in and day out. But if we need a floating batting line up we will have it,” he added.
It should be noted that the Men in Blue are already missing key players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah due to injury. It will be interesting to see how the Indian team handles the South African squad, which is missing several key players.
Rishabh Pant will become the second youngest after Suresh Raina to lead the Indian team in T20.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 8, 2022
