Lucknow Super Giants returned to form on Saturday by defeating Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. However, captain Rishabh Pant's struggles continued as he was dismissed for a mere three runs off nine balls. Throughout the ongoing IPL 2025 season, he has accumulated only 106 runs in eight matches, averaging just 15.14. Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary criticized the LSG captain for his "unconventional" batting approach.

Pant faced an lbw threat on his first delivery and took three more balls to score before being outsmarted by Wanindu Hasaranga while attempting a risky reverse sweep. The ball edged off his bat and was easily caught by wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, marking Pant's fourth single-digit score this IPL season.

In an interview with Cricbuzz, Tiwary expressed his concerns regarding Pant's shot selection, recalling how Sunil Gavaskar had previously admonished him during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series earlier this year.

He remarked, "Rishabh Pant is a player full of talent. There is no necessity for him to attempt a reverse sweep immediately, yet he chooses to do so. This is precisely why Sunil Gavaskar was frustrated during the Test matches in the Border-Gavaskar series. Gavaskar recognizes that Pant possesses the skill to score runs using traditional batting techniques. So, why does he not utilize that? Why opt for the unconventional?"

Pant told to ‘learn from Kohli’

Tiwary believes that Pant should emulate Virat Kohli's approach and adopt a more measured strategy in the white-ball format.

"If Pant is to learn from anyone, it should be Virat Kohli. When Kohli first entered international cricket, he did not maintain a strike rate of 100 in the 50-over format. He took his time, sometimes scoring 7 runs off 10 balls or even just 5 runs off 10 balls, but he consistently built his innings. This is the approach Pant needs to adopt now—he should take a moment to gather himself. Although it may appear, when watching a 20-over match, that one must play aggressively and finish quickly, it is important to remember that there are 120 balls in a T20 innings," Tiwary elaborated.

LSG will face the Delhi Capitals next on Tuesday at their home ground.

Read Also: IPL 2025: How Spinners Like Kuldeep and Rathi Are Turning the Tide Against Tough Matchups

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