Lucknow, Mar 27:
Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis feels Rishabh Pant should bat at No. 3 position to maximise his impact, and also urged the hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batter to control his high-risk approach and aim for consistency in the upcoming IPL.
Pant shuffled his batting position from being No. 4 to opener and also lower down the order in a woeful last season. But he finally produced his best at No. 3 – a 61-ball unbeaten 118 in Lucknow Super Giants’ last league match.
“Maybe there is an opportunity for Pant to bat at number three,” said du Plessis said.
“The numbers suggest that for him to be the best player he can be, number three looks good. I see him batting at number three for LSG this season with Nicholas Pooran sliding down to number four.
“Looking at LSG’s 2026 auction and their strategy around who they signed, you look at that top-heavy batting line-up – Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh and Pooran are the main ones alongside Pant,” added the former RCB skipper.
Pant heads into the new season with significant expectations after being bought for a record Rs 27 crore ahead of IPL 2025. However, his first stint as captain of LSG was underwhelming as they finished seventh.
He endured an inconsistent campaign, scoring 269 runs in 13 innings at an average of 24.45 with a strike rate just over 133.
“When I look at him, he is almost like a highlight player. I want him to be more of a high-impact player in terms of what he can give in his numbers,” du Plessis said.
“He needs to figure out exactly what his game plan looks like to give himself the best chance.”
Du Plessis highlighted the contrast between Pant’s immense ability and his returns in T20 cricket.
“The talent that Pant has is tremendous. You look at him playing Test cricket and you think, this guy has all the shots. When I look at his game, I feel he has too many options in his head. He feels like he can hit a six off every ball to any part of the ground.
“But in T20 batting, you still need a method. You need a game plan for how you go about your business,” he said.
The South African pointed out that elite T20 batters operate with a clear mindset.