India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour said on Monday that Rishabh Pant could be better used in the lower middle order and the team has yet to decide to send the wicket-keeper batsman to the higher order. Pant was recently featured as a starter in a match during the ODI series against the West Indies.
Asked if the team’s management see Pant as a starter in limited overs cricket in the future, Rathod said this attacking batsman can best be used in the lower-middle order.
He said ahead of the T20 series against the West Indies which starts on Wednesday: “There is still a lot of time left. I don’t know if I will be part of the team after 2023. As far as Rishabh is concerned, he is a great player, he can bat at the top of order at any time.
Rathod said: “It depends on the condition of the team at the time and what the team wants from him at the time. I have no doubt that he will continue to be an important member of the team even after 2023.
“But we can make better use of that in the lower-middle order, which can be really challenging. Because in the middle order, we don’t have a lot of options for the southpaw. We’ll see at that point where he can be most useful.
Pant had entered the second ODI as a starter, but after Shikhar Dhawan’s return in the third ODI, he went on to bat at number five.