‘Team India has their Rishabh Pant replacement’ – Kevin Pietersen’s bold statement on Punjab Kings youngster’s performance in IPL 2023
Kevin Pietersen-Rishabh Pant (Source: Twitter)
Former England player Kevin Pietersen feels Jitesh Sharma, the wicket-keeper batter for Punjab Kings (PBKS), has a chance to replace Rishabh Pant on the Indian National Cricket Team. Pant was a crucial member of the national Test side but is currently sidelined temporarily due to injuries suffered in a car accident. He played a significant role in both the ODI and T20I teams. His absence would undoubtedly create a big panic in the Indian national team across all three formats.
Since making his IPL debut in 2022, Jitesh’s finishing abilities have received recognition. In his debut season, the youngster was a keeper-batter, who scored 234 runs with a strike rate of 163. Due to Jonny Bairstow and Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s unavailability this season, he has frequently been used as a finisher but has also been moved up the lineup frequently.
His 25 off seven balls, including four sixes, against Mumbai on Saturday was match-winning: Kevin Pietersen
With four sixes in his seven-ball inning against the Mumbai Indians (MI), he once again showcased his power-hitting skills. He has a strike rate of over 150 and has scored 145 runs in seven innings so far this season. If Rishabh Pant is expected to be out for long, Pietersen claimed that Jitesh would be a terrific backup choice in his Betway column.
“India has their Rishabh Pant replacement. Jitesh Sharma, the wicket-keeper from Punjab Kings, is also something special. I think he could be the guy who takes over from Rishabh Pant for India if Pant is out for a while longer. His 25 off seven balls, including four sixes, against Mumbai on Saturday was match-winning,” Pietersen was quoted as saying in his Betway column.
In 33 Test matches, Pant has slammed over 2200 runs at an average of 43, with 11 half-centuries and five centuries, while slamming over 900 runs at an average of 35 in 30 ODI games, notching five half-centuries and a single century. Pant is anticipated to be out for another seven to eight months, therefore it seems unlikely that he will be fit until 2024.
2 Comments
[…] we talk about the encounter, PBKS skipper, Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and elected to bat first. The visitors, while batting first, […]
[…] is the Delhi Capitals. The team failed to perform under pressure in the absence of regular skipper Rishabh Pant. In his absence, David Warner failed to get the best performance out of his team and they got […]
Comments are closed.