Adam Gilchrist, a former Australian cricket player, believed that Rishabh Pant, the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), lacked the spark. Only 128 runs at an average of 12.80 have been scored by the wicketkeeper-batter, who was sold for INR 27 crore at the IPL mega auction.
The former wicketkeeper acknowledged that the left-hander is experiencing the pressure of both captaincy and the price tag. The Indian hitter isn’t being himself on the pitch, according to the former Australian cricket player.
You can always tell he enjoys playing cricket when you watch him. This time, we haven’t seen that. I haven’t seen him laugh, smile, be happy, or feel at ease.
“Coming into a new franchise with that highest price tag over his head may be the captain’s responsibility,” Adam Gilchrist stated on Cricbuzz.
“I don’t think he’s acting like himself. His batting has been very careless, so people might see him hang on there. His stroke play and stroke selection, in my opinion, are in a pleasing balance. He went on, “Don’t see the spark in him.”
Only once, against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has the 27-year-old scored more than fifty runs, but it was in vain as LSG lost the game at home. Although the Australian underlined that the Haridwar-born player is among the most entertaining on the pitch, he maintained that the IPL 2025 is lacking something from him.
Don’t see that spark in him, please. I recently saw this after ten or eleven games. When his natural colour comes out, he’s one of the most fascinating and pleasurable cricket players to watch. He has a distinct personality, and his body language is lively. He continued, “There’s something missing, something missing.”
In his most recent game, the LSG captain only managed 18 runs in 17 balls against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), and the team lost by a margin of 37 runs. On May 9, LSG, now ranked seventh in the points standings, will play the top-seeded Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).