Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara stated that Rishabh Pant is not even close to matching MS Dhoni's prowess as a finisher, and as such, he should not attempt to assume that role. Pujara's remarks followed Pant's decision to bat at No. 7 against Delhi Capitals in Lucknow Super Giants' home game at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday, which was widely criticized.

The LSG captain presented a disappointing and frustrating sight throughout the middle overs and faced only two deliveries during the innings. To make matters worse, he failed to score even a single run off those two balls. On his first ball, he advanced aggressively to hit Mukesh Kumar out of the ground but ultimately swung and missed completely. Mukesh delivered a full yorker for the last ball of the LSG innings, and Pant, attempting a reverse lap, inadvertently dragged the ball onto his stumps, resulting in a two-ball duck.

Despite an opening partnership of 87 runs, LSG could only post 159/6 in their 20 overs. Pujara asserted that the best position for Pant to bat in T20s is during the middle overs. The left-handed batsman has never performed as a finisher like the iconic Dhoni and should not be trying to do something out of character in the midst of a tournament.

"There’s no doubt he should be batting up the order. He’s trying to replicate what MS Dhoni does, but he’s nowhere near that. He should be batting in the middle overs between 6 and 15. He’s not a finisher and should not be doing the job of a finisher," Pujara remarked on ESPNCricinfo.

‘Doesn’t look right when your captain slides down': Knight on Pant

Pant has typically batted at No 4 or 5 in this IPL, but versus DC, he chose to promote Abdul Samad, David Miller, and Ayush Badoni ahead of himself.

Former England opener Nick Knight was familiar with the idea of having Badoni bat ahead of Pant, as he thinks the right-hander stands a better chance of accumulating runs given the current form; however, he disagreed with the team captain dropping as low as No. 7.

"I have no objections to Badoni batting at 4 or 5. I find some reasoning behind that. He’s more likely to score runs right now than Rishabh Pant, even Abdul Samad, and David Miller. What I find concerning is that he’s your captain. If he continues to drop down the order when you really require him to step up. . . He’s the one who’s meant to be standing up and addressing the team, he’s your leader. It doesn’t appear favorable when your leader is going in the opposite direction," Knight expressed.

Pant, the most expensive player in IPL history, has struggled since becoming LSG’s captain. Across 9 matches, he has managed just one significant score of 63 in this IPL. The aggressive left-hander is averaging 13 in this IPL with a poor strike rate of 96. 36.

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