Test Of Pant’s Captaincy As India Plot Comeback Versus Proteas

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Accidental captain Rishabh Pant will expect an improved showing from the India bowlers as he plots a comeback against a marauding South Africa in the second T20 of the five-match series here on Sunday.
Leading India for the first time ever, Pant had to swallow a bitter pill when David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen shot down an imposing 212 with utmost nonchalance to go up 1-0 in the series.
The southpaw also had a forgettable Indian Premier League where he failed to lead Delhi Capitals to the playoffs. Seen as a future white-ball captain, Pant’s stakes have suddenly come down post-IPL and that has coincided with the resurgence of Hardik Pandya.
Returning to full fitness, the pace bowling all-rounder took the IPL by storm not only by his form but by pulling off a coup as he led Gujarat Titans to the title in their debut season.
Amid the growing chorus of Hardik Pandya the next white-ball captain of India, Pant will be under scrutiny again as he masterminds a comeback.
It may still be early days for Pant the leader, but his body language never stood out and he looked under pressure on his captaincy debut. He also made a debatable decision to underbowl the IPL Purple Cap winner Yuzvendra Chahal, fresh from claiming 27 wickets for runners-up Rajasthan Royals. At Kotla, the leggie bowled only two full overs. As for Pandya, fresh after his historic success with GT, continued from where he left in the IPL.
Pandya, who last played for India in November last year in the 2021 T20 World Cup, dazzled with the bat with a 31 not out from 12 balls to prop the total past 200.
But he failed to impress with the bowl and leaked 18 runs in his only over. The big headache for Pant would be the bowling department where he would have to make a call between Arshdeep Singh and pace gun Umran Malik.
While the batting looks in perfect shape, the new-look pace department looked flat in the series opener.