Brad Hogg believes that Rishabh Pant has been "told by Ricky Ponting" to play a little more conservatively.
Rishabh Pant has had an underwhelming IPL 2020 so far. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been far from his explosive best, as he has scored only 285 runs in 12 matches at a poor strike-rate of 109.61. Moreover, he is yet to score a single 50+ score in the tournament.
Pant has also been criticised for his fitness, and was also left out of India's limited-overs series against Australia which begins on November 27.
Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg, however, believes that Pant has been "told by Ricky Ponting" to play conservatively. Hogg believes that Pant, who is a natural "entertainer," needs to be let loose.
"I think Pant has been told by Ricky Ponting to play a little more conservative this year. He wants him to bat right through the innings, have a lot more 'not outs' against his name," Brad Hogg said about Pant in a video on his official YouTube channel.
"This guy is a maverick. He's an entertainer. He goes out there and he dominates bowling. You can't hold him back. Look at the last couple of series, he had the strike-rates of over-150. He takes the game away from the opposition players," Hogg further said.
Hogg urged Ponting to let Pant play his natural game ahead of the Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
"Take the shackles off him ahead of the next match, let him loose and let him entertain the public please, Ricky Ponting. We want to see the best of Rishabh Pant," said Hogg.
Delhi Capitals will meet the SRH in the Qualifier 2 of IPL 2020 later tonight.
