Rishabh Pant continues to have a bad tour of South Africa.
In the four innings from two Tests, he has scored 8, 34, 17 and 0, a total of 59 runs.
He did not have a great series in England either. There is no doubt that Pant's keeping has become better with time but his lack of runs is a huge concern for the team.
His 0 in the second innings of the second Test especially hurt India as India fell short of at least 60 runs which even captain KL Rahul said in the post-match presentation.
There is till one match to go in the series. India need to win at Cape Town to create history in South Africa where they have never won a Test series.
Not to forget, India head coach Rahul Dravid has said that there needs to be some level of conversation with Pant regarding his shot selection.
However, former India player and 1983 World Cup winner Madal Lal feels that the time has come to give a break to Pant and include the reserve keeper Wriddhiman Saha in the XI.
"He should be given a break. You have someone like Wriddhiman Saha, who is a sensible batter, and a very good wicketkeeper. But Pant has to decide how he wants to bat in Test cricket. If there is some doubt in his mind, it is better to give him a break. He is a match-winning player, but you cannot bat like this. You have to bat for the team and not for yourself," Lal said on Aaj Tak.
The third Test starts in January 11 at Cape Town.
