Shaun Pollock criticised Rishabh Pant for playing a careless reverse sweep in a crucial match, saying he should play more responsibly instead of calling it his natural game.
Rishabh Pant’s poor run with the bat continued in IPL 2025, drawing criticism from former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper has scored just 110 runs from 11 matches this season. In the recent game against the Mumbai Indians, Pant fell after scoring 4 runs in 2 balls. He attempted a risky reverse sweep off Will Jacks and handed an easy catch to Karun Nair at short third-man. The shot proved costly as LSG failed to chase a massive 215-run target and lost by 54 runs.
Pollock feels Pant should have played with more responsibility after starting with a boundary. He believes the left-hander had the time to settle in before playing aggressive shots. Pollock highlighted that flashy strokes under pressure were hurting Pant and his team.
“He (Pant) got to the crease, he picked up a boundary off the very first ball. He almost bought himself 10 balls, where he could just knock it around, pick up the singles, get a feel of the surface, and then look to cash in. But, they will tell you, ‘Oh, that is my natural game’, to pull out the reverse sweep,”he said on Cricbuzz.
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Shaun Pollock then urged Rishabh Pant to learn from Krunal Pandya’s composed approach with the bat. In Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s last match against Delhi Capitals, Krunal was promoted up the order. Despite lacking Pant’s skills or experience, he adapted well to the surface, settled in, and later accelerated. Pollock pointed out the contrast in their approaches, questioning Pant’s decision-making under pressure.
“Now we watch that game, where you see him (Pant) do that, and then you watch Krunal Pandya, who has got nowhere near the ability that Pant has got, nowhere near the experience he has got, walked in a similar situation, he managed to get himself in and then he made them pay later. So, I don’t know how we explain Pant’s shot selection. In his mind, he must have felt that there was a shot on offer,” he added.
With the playoffs slipping away, Pant’s form remains a major concern for Lucknow, who need better decision-making from their captain in coming matches.
