IPL 2022 | Graeme Smith tips Pant how to seize best out of him

Former Proteas opener Graeme Smith has opined that Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant should bat at No.3 to maximize his skills in the ongoing Indian Premier League.


In the last three seasons, Pant's strike rate has taken a significant dip compared to the period between 2017 to 2019, when he threw caution to the wind and hammered bowlers to all corners.


He has been doing the same for India in the longest format and in ODIs in the last 12-15 months, but the same can't be said about his approach in T20s, especially in the IPL.


Pant has scored 83 runs in three innings thus far this season at a strike rate of 123.88. In the last game, he endured a pain-staking return as the southpaw managed just 39* off 36 deliveries against the Supergiants.


However, Smith believes that Pant has looked in good touch so far and all he needs to do is promote himself at No.3 to maximize his hitting ability.


"Rishabh has got starts in every game, but everyone needs to be patient. The strike rate hasn't quite happened yet, but everyone needs to be patient. Today, DC needed to rebuild after losing a couple of wickets, but the strong finish never came." Smith told cricket.com following DC's final-over defeat to Lucknow on Thursday.


"Maybe the way forward is to promote Rishabh. Get him up to No. 3 and take the pressure off him and give him more time. Maybe this way, he'll be able to set the tone and not think too much." he added.


With the T20 World Cup in Australia just a few months way, this IPL is very important for the likes of Samson and other India hopefuls.


And while Samson and Dinesh Karthik have been doing well, Smith believes that Pant's place in the Indian team isn't under threat, adding that the 24-year-old will dominate works cricket across all formats in the coming days.


Smith said, "I can't see Rishabh Pant missing out, despite the likes of Samson, DK and Kishan doing well. Ultimately, it will come down to combinations. Who gets picked will depend on the conditions and who they are coming up against... Pant has to be there. You can't leave out Pant. He is going to play all formats for India for a very long time. He's going to be a superstar.


Pant will look to revive his form in the upcoming games and take charge of Delhi's fledgling campaign. His next assignment is against the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 10.

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IPL 2022 | CSK vs SRH ❘ Match 17 : Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, Fantasy XI

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), two teams who are yet to register their maiden win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, have got off to identical starts in the 15th edition of the tournament. CSK, under their newly appointed captain Ravindra Jadeja, lost all the three games they played in the tournament. Talking about their previous encounter, they were completely outplayed by Punjab Kings (PBKS) as they beat the defending champions by 54 runs. Their batters failed miserably in the last game, while bowlers did a decent job with the ball. They are currently sitting on the eighth spot on the points table and need to make a quick turnaround to huddle some momentum. Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, started their IPL 2022 campaign on a terrible note as they lost two back-to-back games and are currently languishing at the bottom of the points table. Their batting has been their massive letdown as Kane Williamson, Abhishek Sharma, and Abdul Samad are yet to make a noise with the bat, while their bowlers did a decent job in both matches. In their previous game, the likes of T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Washington Sundar restricted the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for 169 runs, but their batter failed to chase down the target as they fell 12-run short. Although both sides look well-matched on paper, the defending Champions will fancy their chances, given their strong bowling unit. With the two teams desperate to open their account on the points table, a cracking game beckons at the DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai. Pitch Report The track at Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai, delivers equal assistance to both departments. The pacers will enjoy bowling initially, while the spinners will come into the game as the match progresses. Both captains will look to bowl first after winning the toss since the chasing side won three of the five games at this venue. Pitch Stats [IPL 2022] Matches Played: 5 Matches Won Batting First: 2 Matches Won Bowling First: 3 Average 1st Inning Score: 169 Average 2nd Inning Score: 164 Injury Update/Players' Availability Chennai Super Kings: Rajvardhan Hangargekar might replace Mukesh Choudhary in CSK's playing combination. Sunrisers Hyderabad: On Saturday, they are expected to go in with an unchanged XI against CSK. CSK vs SRH Head-To-Head Matches Played: 17 CSK Won: 13 SRH Won: 04 Squads Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja (captain), MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Dwaine Pretorius, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Chris Jordan, Mahesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, K. Bhagath Varma, C.Hari Nishaanth, N. Jagadeesan, K.M. Asif, Simarjeet Singh. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (captain), Rahul Tripathi, Abhishek Sharma, Nicholas Pooran (wicketkeeper), Aiden Markram, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Shashank Singh, R Samarth, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Marco Jansen, Sean Abbott, Shreyas Gopal, Glenn Phillips, Vishnu Vinod, Umran Malik, Saurabh Dubey, Fazhalaq Farooqui, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kartik Tyagi, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Probable Playing XI Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (c), Dwayne Bravo, Dwaine Pretorius, Rajvardhan Hangargekar/Mukesh Choudhary, Chris Jordan Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson (c), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, T Natarajan CREX XI Suggestion Wicket-Keeper: Nicholas Pooran Batters: Rahul Tripathi, Kane Williamson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Robin Uthappa All-Rounders: Washington Sundar, Moeen Ali Bowlers: T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Chris Jordan Captain: Moeen Ali Vice-Captain: Washington Sundar

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India to play a couple of warm-up T20s against Derbyshire & Northamptonshire during England tour

The Indian cricket team will lock horns with Derbyshire and Northamptonshire in a couple of T20 matches during their forthcoming tour of England later this summer. India will tour England in July to complete the 5-match Test series, scheduled in 2021, before locking horns with the Eoin Morgan-led unit in three ODIs and as many T20Is. The two T20s against Derbyshire and Northamptonshire will serve as a valuable warm-up for the Rohit Sharma-led unit before the white-ball fixtures against the home side. The games will be played at the Incora County Ground in Derby and County Ground in Northampton on July 1 and July 3, respectively. The warm-up fixtures will coincide with the fifth and final Test of the Pataudi Trophy, which will take place at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham between July 1-5. For the uninitiated, the fifth Test, which was originally scheduled to take place at Old Trafford in Manchester last September, was postponed for an indefinite period on the morning of the game following a Covid outbreak in the Indian camp. India is currently leading the five-match series 2-1 thanks to remarkable victories that the Virat Kohli-led unit notched up in London- Lord's and then the Oval. However, unlike last summer's first four Tests, Kohli won't be leading the Indian team. The former skipper relinquished leadership duties following a heartbreaking Test series defeat in South Africa earlier this year. Nevertheless, it will still be an excellent opportunity for India to claim their maiden series win in England since 2007, and all they need is a draw to confirm that. As for the white-ball fixtures, the leg will start with three T20Is from July 7. Southampton, Birmingham and Nottingham will host the three games on July 7, 9 and 10. The ODI series will take place in London and Manchester between July 12-17. Prior to the England tour, Team India will also play a couple of T20Is in Ireland on June 26 and 28.