A tally of 281 from 10 innings is in no way a poor return in an IPL season, but when it comes from a player of Rishabh Pant's quality, it has an impact on the fortunes of the team. Pant has had a mixed bag of a tournament so far and the result is that his team Delhi Capitals are fighting to survive in the league with three matches to play. DC take on Rajasthan Royals in a must-win encounter on Wednesday and the time has come for Pant to deliver for his team.
He is currently the second-highest run-getter for his team in IPL 2022 behind the super consistent David Warner, but Pant's problem is that he has failed to play the big and long knocks. The southpaw is yet to register a fifty this season with his highest being 44.
At a time when the Capitals need to win all their matches to hope for a fourth straight season of play-offs, Pant needs to get his act together. Former India captain and batting great Sunil Gavaskar has weighed in on what is ailing Pant this season and the DC captain will do well to listen to his advice.
"The problem is that either he is trying to attack too early and losing his wicket or if he is set after that he is trying to whack every delivery for a six," Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
"He has to be a little patient and bat according to the situation of the match. He is a game-changer and the time has come for him to do that if Delhi Capitals are to qualify for the play-offs. He is batting at number 4 and not at number 6. He needs to score at least 60 or 70 runs if he gets to bat 10 overs. These 20s and 30s won't help Delhi," Gavaskar added.
The former India great, who has been commentating on the tournament has watched Pant's game closely and feels that he needs to improve his shot selection.
"Shot selection has to be good and he needs to be more careful in that aspect," Gavaskar said.
Delhi Capitals have 10 points from 11 matches and need to win each of their remaining three matches to stand a chance to finish in the top 4.