"Disturbed, Frustrated": Ex-India Star's Big 'Behind The Scenes' Take On Pant

It has been a disappointing season for Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant. The Indian cricket team wicket-keeper batter, who was bought for a record Rs 27 crore by LSG in the IPL mega auction, has scored just 128 runs in 11 matches at an average of 12.80. With just one half-century, Pant’s form has left a lot to be desired and it has also resulted in criticism from both fans as well as experts. Former Indian cricket team batter Aakash Chopra weighed in on Pant’s dismal run and said that he looked extremely disturbed and frustrated during the last couple of matches. He went on to say that Pant has not been the captain that one desires and went on to wonder what is happening “behind the scenes”.

“It’s also true that he was extremely animated as a captain in the last match before the IPL suspension. It seemed like he was extremely disturbed and frustrated. That’s not the captain you want, one who looks frustrated on the ground. You and I will never get to know what’s going on behind the scenes,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“One shouldn’t come to know from the captain’s face that he is angry, but the anger was visible, which is not a great thing,” he added.

Earlier, Ravi Shastri says Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are ideal candidates to captain India in the Test format, given that they have age on their side and already have the experience of leading IPL sides.

Shastri also feels that Jasprit Bumrah would have been an obvious choice for the leadership role in the traditional format but for his fitness issues, the pacer should be protected from the additional burden.

“See for me, Jasprit would have been the obvious choice after Australia. But I don’t want Jasprit to be made captain and then you lose him as a bowler,” Shastri said on the latest episode of the ICC Review with Bumrah’s wife Sanjana Ganesan.

The selectors will have to pick a new Test captain following the recent retirement of Rohit Sharma.

India’s next assignment is a five-match series against England, starting June 20 at Leeds. Bumrah, 31, struggled with a back injury sustained in the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy match in Sydney. He was out of action for nearly three months — early January until April — and missed India’s Champions Trophy winning campaign.