“He Was Very Frustrated”, Ex-Ind Cricketer Slams LSG For Sending Rishabh Pant To Bat At No.7

Rishabh Pant, captain of the Lucknow Super Giants, found himself at the center of controversy during their clash against his former team, the Delhi Capitals. In a surprising turn of events, Pant was involved in a visibly tense exchange with team mentor Zaheer Khan on the sidelines — a moment that sparked speculation and concern among fans and cricket pundits alike.

The root of the drama lay in a puzzling tactical move. With Lucknow cruising at 99/2 following the dismissal of Nicholas Pooran in the 12th over, all eyes were on Pant to take charge at No. 4. Instead, the team sent in Abdul Samad — a decision that baffled many and altered the game’s momentum.

While some suggested the strategy was aimed at maintaining a right-left batting combination, it fell flat as right-handed Samad replaced the left-handed Pooran. Veteran coach and former India captain Anil Kumble voiced strong disapproval of the move on a sports channel, noting, “It’s alright if you wanted to bat more freely under less pressure by coming in late, but this was way too late. The kind of frustration Rishabh is showing is evident that he was wronged.”

Kumble further questioned the decision-making hierarchy within the team, adding, “He (Pant) probably wanted to bat higher. Was it his decision? Or was it coach Justin Langer’s or maybe mentor Zaheer Khan’s? Whose decision was it? Because he looked very frustrated.”

Pant, demoted to No. 7, faced only two deliveries and failed to score. The team stumbled to a modest 159/6, with Samad contributing just two runs off eight balls. Post-match, a clearly dejected Pant attempted to justify the shuffle: “The idea was to like capitalise… Eventually, these are the things we’ve got to figure out and try to find our best combination going forward.”

However, his explanation did little to mask the visible disappointment — both in his words and his demeanor.