Lucknow Super Giants mentor Zaheer Khan has asserted that skipper Rishabh Pant’s calibre and ability were never in doubt despite his underwhelming performances for most of the IPL season and the charismatic stumper will emerge stronger after this learning curve. Bought for a whopping Rs 27 crore at the mega auction, Pant endured a lean patch, managing just 269 runs from 13 innings. He found his trademark big-hitting touch only in the last game of the season with a 61-ball 118 but that too ended up in a losing cause against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow on Tuesday.
“He’s been good as a leader. That was a positive for us throughout the season. The form with the bat was definitely a learning experience for him, having this kind of season. But the ability and calibre — no one had any doubt about it,” Zaheer said in the post-match press conference on Tuesday.
The former India pace spearhead said it was good to see the swashbuckling keeper-batter, end the season on a high. “We’re happy he finished on a really strong note – that’s the calibre he has, and the impact he can have on the game,” Zaheer added.
It was a disappointing season for LSG, who finished seventh with six wins and eight losses. A spate of injuries to key bowlers disrupted their rhythm and consistency.
“When you start off the IPL season, your first goal is to think of the playoffs, how you are going to get there…We obviously made the conscious effort of (trying to handle) the challenges which we are facing in the beginning of the season, which is losing a few of our main bowlers to injuries,” he said.
“We made an effort to not pay too much attention to that…and finding ways of winning the match,” Zaheer said.
“That is the process which everyone was aligned to and looking at that, we have had a decent season…but yes, we fell short and putting the game together was a challenge which was evident right through the season…,” Zaheer said.
Despite the bowling woes, Zaheer said the stability in the batting unit was a major positive. The overseas trio of Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, and Nicholas Pooran – the team’s standout performer with the bat – brought solidity to the line-up.
“There are positives, a lot of positives – the stability was evident with regard to batting. But with regard to bowling, we were trying to figure out the combinations, we were trying to figure out the options which can get us over the line and that is something that was the story right throughout the season,” he conceded.
