ICC T20 World Cup 2022, IND vs SA: 'We aren't thinking about Pant as opener' - Rathour

Indian wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul might have failed in a couple of matches. However, that might not be alarming enough to drop him and promote Rishabh Pant as an opener, Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour stated on the eve of the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup game against South Africa at the Perth Stadium on Sunday. Rahul scored one off four deliveries versus arch-rival Pakistan, while touch and go leg-before call saw him get dismissed for nine off 12 deliveries versus the Netherlands. While Pant has delivered a lot of intent as skipper Rohit Sharma's opening partner in the short cases he has got, Rathour made it evident that the gifted Rourkee man will have to wait.

"No. We aren't not thinking about that. That's not a good enough sample size, anyway. He's been batting well and also batted well in practice games. So, we aren't changing anything," Rathour said during the pre-match press conference on Saturday. While Pant is an unconditional match-winner, it isn't easy to fit Dinesh Karthik and him in the same playing XI. Also, with the team roping in Karthik as a finisher, there is hardly any chance that the 37-year-old will be kept out.

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"Only 11 can play, unfortunately, and I know and understand Rishabh is a fantastic player, and we know he can be destructive against any opposition," voiced Rathour. While he wanted to soften the blow, it was clear they were not even thinking about Pant. "The message to him is to be ready, and your chance might come anytime. He should be mentally and physically ready," told Rathour.

"He [Pant] is doing that, and you might have seen him practising regularly. I am sure he will be ready whenever the opportunity comes," Rathour added. When asked why Rahul has a tempered approach in the Powerplay (PP) compared to Rohit, he admitted that things would change once he is back in form.

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"Every player has their way of playing and constituting their innings. A good partnership is one where each one complements the other. If Rahul is in good form, he can also be the aggressor," continued Rathour. He also clarified that there is no intended routine to Virat Kohli's direction.

"Not really. It depends on conditions, and we pride ourselves on being a team that adapts to conditions. He [Kohli] is good enough to change his game as per conditions. He has done that brilliantly, and we expect him to keep doing that," Rathour noted. The batting coach also feels that in this T20WC, there won't be too many 200-plus totals. "Playing with intent is the goal. Looking to score runs, but we are looking to adapt as well as per conditions. I don't think these are 200-plus wickets, so we will need to adapt," he concluded.

(With inputs from PTI)