Cheteshwar Pujara opened up on how Rishabh Pant often misjudges DRS calls and sometimes blames others when the DRS reviews fail.
India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has pointed out Rishabh Pant’s continued struggles with DRS calls in the IPL. The LSG captain has made just one successful DRS call in eight matches this season. His only correct decision came against KKR, overturning Quinton de Kock’s not-out verdict. Pant was again in the spotlight during LSG’s eight-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals, where he appeared frustrated with bowler Digvesh Rathee after another unsuccessful review.
Pujara, who has played alongside Pant in Tests, noted the wicketkeeper often misreads ball trajectories during appeals.
“I have had so many conversations with him(Pant) in Test format. So I know that he doesn’t have a clue of where the ball is going. Being a wicket-keeper, he should know, and he will end up blaming me that I don’t know,” Pujara said on ESPNCricinfo.
Ashwin’s 2021 Remarks on Rishabh Pant’s DRS Calls Resurface
Notably, Ravichandran Ashwin had earlier pointed out Rishabh Pant’s lack of support during DRS decisions, highlighting it during a public event in 2021. He explained that spinners rely heavily on wicketkeepers to judge bounce and angles while opting for reviews. Ashwin shared that he often found Pant unhelpful in such situations, despite needing clear inputs to make accurate calls. The spinner had even suggested a DRS crash course to improve their coordination.
“I think we need to change the lens with which people are looking at me with the DRS. Sometimes what people are telling us might not be true, because before this series against England, my DRS was extremely good. Because when you take DRS, you need to rely on the keeper’s resources,” Ashwin had said.
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“Because I ask valid questions in terms of saying… I know whether the ball has struck in line or not, but with respect to the line from the angle that I am bowling and the bounce, the keeper really needs to help. And Rishabh is actually letting me down on a lot of occasions. I took him aside and I said, ‘we need to sit together on a crash course with DRS, because Ravi bhai (Shastri) has a few complaints with me going for DRS’,” he added,
Meanwhile, LSG remains fifth on the points table. They are next set to face Mumbai Indians at Wankhede on Sunday, April 27.
