Former Australian cricketer and current commentator Aaron Finch has advised Rishabh Pant to play on his instincts rather than trying to prove a point.
Pant has had a horrendous season so far, as he was dismissed for another single-digit score against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in match no. 61 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
The southpaw came in at no. 3 to bat yesterday but could only manage just 7 runs before Eshan Malinga took a brilliant catch in his follow-up. LSG managed to score a total of 205 runs in their 20 overs, which was easily chased down by SRH with 10 balls still left to play.
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Pant has been miserable both with the bat and with his on-field decisions in this edition; as a result, Lucknow have been knocked out of this year's playoff race with two games to spare. The LSG skipper has managed just 135 runs in the season so far, at a meager average of 12.27.
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What did Aaron Finch say about Rishabh Pant?
Finch feels that Rishabh Pant made a good call to come up the order and bat at no. 3 bceause a left-arm spinner was on the charge. He further added that Pant has lacked flow and rythm throughout the tournament, as he feels that the southpaw isn't watching the ball closely as he used to.
Speaking on Star Sports, Finch said, "I wouldn’t call it a tactical liability—I didn’t mind the change. There was a left-arm spinner on at the time, and Rishabh Pant, being a left-hander, was at the crease. But it just seems like he’s lacking flow and rhythm in his batting. It’s almost as if he’s not watching the ball as closely as he used to."
Finch further added that when a player is under pressure, they grip the bat tightly and want to prove a point by trying to hit everything that comes their way, which moves away from the basics of the game.
He further advised Pant not to try too hard, suggested that he go back to his strength and play on instinct rather than trying to prove a point.
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"I know what that feels like—when you’re under pressure, you grip the bat tighter, you want to prove you can still do it, still hit sixes, and compete with the top-order guys who are scoring all the runs. Sometimes, you try too hard. You need to strip it back, go back to basics, and play on instinct rather than trying to prove a point."
Pant will be next seen featuring for LSG in their next match against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Thursday, May 22, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Rishabh Pant stats by innings in IPL 2025 listed
Pant has accumulated just 135 runs in 12 matches in his first season as the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants, at a weak average of 12.27.
His highest score remains 63, which came against the five-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in match no. 30.
| Opponent | Runs | Result |
| SRH | 7 | SRH won by 6 wickets |
| PBKS | 18 | PBKS won by 37 runs |
| MI | 4 | MI won by 54 runs |
| DC | 0 | DC won by 8 wickets |
| RR | 3 | LSG won by 2 runs |
| CSK | 63 | CSK won by 5 wickets |
| GT | 21 | LSG won by 6 wickets |
| KKR | DNB | LSG won by 4 runs |
| MI | 2 | LSG won by 12 runs |
| PBKS | 2 | PBKS won by 8 wickets |
| SRH | 15 | LSG won by 5 wickets |
| DC | 0 | DC won by 1 wicket |