New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant’s struggles in IPL 2026 are rooted in his inability to find a clear batting template for himself in white-ball cricket, said former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim.

Pant was dismissed for a three-ball duck on Wednesday, as LSG suffered their fourth consecutive loss of this season. His overall tally in IPL 2026 stands at 147 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 132.43.

“A modern T20 batter has to find his own template. For instance, whether it is Shreyas Iyer or Rajat Patidar, even if Rajat Patidar goes in to bat on a track like this, I’m sure he’s got his clarity in his mind that he will go and play the big shots, and he’s confident of doing so.

“Rishabh Pant’s problem lies in the fact that he’s yet to find his template for white-ball cricket. And not only talking about T20, even ODIs. And Test-match batting for him, I think there is more transparency in his thought process the way he prepares. I think somehow in white-ball cricket he’s yet to find that,” said Karim on ESPNCricinfo.

Pant’s inconsistency has been a major talking point in IPL 2026. While he struck 68 not out against Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier in the season, his other innings have failed to leave an impact as a number three batter.

While South Africa pacer Dale Steyn suggested Pant is playing more than one game in his head right now, Faf du Plessis remarked that the pressure to emulate in-form captains like Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar is weighing heavily on Pant.

“You look at innings like that – who can we look who does that well? So how many times out of ten if you put Virat Kohli in that situation is he going to play in a tempo that’s going to be: I’m not going to face dot balls; I’m going to hit the ball along the ground; I’m going to be 60 not out… and that’s a picture for you on tough wickets when the scoreboard is saying (the target is) 160.

“How do you get to the end? Look at (Kohli) – he is a great example. High intensity. Drops the risk a little bit. Hits gaps, hits fours, runs really hard, no dot balls. That is a very modern way of playing. It’s a default of our game is right now. A lot of teams are talking about how you must be aggressive, how you must take the game on.

“And, as a captain, you feel that responsibility lies with you to demonstrate that. Great examples: Rajat Patidar is leading the way that the RCB batting line-up’s playing, and Shreyas Iyer is leading the way (with) the style of batting (for PBKS). So the captain sets the tone. You almost can’t blame Pant (for) thinking ‘I need to do the same’. But it wasn’t there; you needed just a calm head, just to go… The wicket was tough and ‘I need to scratch my way to the end of the game,'” he elaborated.

Former India batting coach and JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar also echoed the same view, saying that he was disappointed with Pant’s body language against RR. “It just didn’t feel right, the shots he attempted at the start of his innings. In his first three balls, he tried to swing across the line each time.

“As a top-order batter with a lot of international runs and experience, this is something he would be very disappointed with. His body language said it all; he knew he got it wrong. If he applies more clarity to his approach early on, he will get far better returns.”

–IANS

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