Pant carries high expectations as both a batter and a leader. While his aggressive stroke play has made him one of the most exciting players in world cricket, questions remain over his consistency in T20s.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Breaking down Pant\u2019s approach, du Plessis highlighted the numerous options in the left-hander\u2019s game as both a strength and a challenge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe talent that Rishabh 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. Look at all the great T20 players. You can almost have an idea of where they will score their boundaries and where they have slight weaknesses,\u201d du Plessis told JioStar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThey work their way through that. With Pant, I feel he is always on the edge. When you watch him play, you feel he can get out at any time because it is almost frantic at times. The surprising number for me is his T20 strike-rate, which is around 130. How is that possible for a guy with so many shots? Maybe it is because we watch him in Test cricket playing these extravagant, exuberant innings, taking the game on. We almost feel that should just happen in T20 cricket as well,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With LSG assembling a strong top order featuring Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran, du Plessis also weighed in on where Pant could best fit into the batting lineup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cLooking at LSG\u2019s 2026 auction and their strategy around who they signed, you look at that top-heavy batting line-up \u2013 Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran are the main ones alongside Pant. Pooran is maybe the only guy who can slide down. But the success Marsh and Markram had at the top of the order for LSG last season is probably something I would expect them to start with again. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"So, maybe there is an opportunity for Pant to bat at number three. 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,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Du Plessis further stressed that Pant needs to bring clarity to his T20 blueprint, especially in the early stages of his innings, to achieve greater consistency.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"So, maybe there is an opportunity for Pant to bat at number three. 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,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThat is too high risk. Yes, you might hit a few sixes and play a couple of good innings. But when teams bowl wide to him, he is good enough to have something else in his armoury to hit through the offside. His game plan is not one-dimensional. He can score all around the ground. For me, it is about his first six balls. 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,\u201d he stated further. <\/p>\r\n\r\n