Rishabh Pant eyes return to playing XI as he hits Sodhi out of park twice in practice game

Rishabh Pant has been out of Team India's playing eleven ever since he sustained a concussion in the second T20 against Sri Lanka. However, he has finally shown glimpses of his return to form. In the practice match against New Zealand ahead of the two-match Test series, Pant struck the ball brilliantly for a maximum, which he is known for. The wicket-keeper batsman smacked Ish Sodhi twice for two sixes in two consecutive balls showing skipper Virat Kohli that he could be considered for the playing eleven for the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington on February 24.

The left-handed batsman slammed four fours and four sixes as he scored 70 runs in 65 balls in the 2nd innings of the three-day match that ended in a draw. So far, Pant has been benched throughout the ODI and T20 series against the Blackcaps down under. KL Rahul has donned the gloves throughout the series as he played another role for the Men in Blue.

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Delhi Capitals chairman criticises Team India for not playing Pant

Earlier, Delhi Capitals chairman Parth Jindal took to Twitter to express his disappointment. Jindal, whose JSW holds 50 per cent stake in the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals, said that Rishabh Pant would have benefitted from a game in the series. He added that if Pant had to just warm the bench, he would have been better off playing with India A or in the domestic circuit. Parth Jindal further said that to see a player of Rishabh Pant’s calibre not play the 5th T20I or the 3rd ODI made no sense.

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