Ex-cricketer slam Pant for poor performance

Lucknow Super Giants won the last ball thriller against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday, debutant Mukul Choudhary pulled the chase single handedly. Although despite LSG’s win former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has criticised Rishabh Pant stating that the skipper must improve his game awareness and take greater responsibility. Pant endured another underwhelming outing, scoring just 10 runs, as LSG’s top order struggled. However, the team managed to pull off a thrilling three-wicket victory in Kolkata. Pant’s form has been inconsistent this season, with two low scores surrounding a solitary half-century in his first three matches. Speaking on Star Sports, Kaif highlighted the lack of consistency and stressed that an experienced player like Pant should take charge of the chase and bat till the end.”…the team needed him to stay till the end,” Kaif said. “He is an experienced player and has been playing in the IPL since 2016. The situation when he came in wasn’t very difficult, LSG had already scored 41 in the first five overs. One batter needed to take responsibility and guide the chase, and that role was meant for Pant.”Kaif further emphasised the importance of leadership, stating that a captain must lead from the front.“As captain, if you don’t take responsibility, you cannot help your team win games. Yes, he did well against SRH, but he needs consistency. One good innings followed by failures isn’t enough. He must read the match situation better and understand when to accelerate.”He also advised Pant to focus on building his innings and spending more time at the crease.“A captain’s role in a chase is to stay till the end, and that is something Pant needs to work on,” Kaif added.Lucknow Super Giants pulled off a thrilling last-ball victory against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, chasing down 182 in dramatic fashion. Batting first, KKR posted a competitive 181/4, with useful contributions across the order. However, they couldn’t fully capitalise despite a solid platform.In reply, LSG found themselves under pressure midway through the chase, but a stunning lower-order fightback turned the game around. Ayush Badoni anchored the innings with a composed half-century, while debutant Mukul Choudhary stole the show with a fearless 54 off 27 balls.The match went down to the final ball, where Choudhary held his nerve to seal a memorable win for LSG. His knock not only completed the chase but also announced his arrival on the big stage.

Virat Kohli (left), Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan (on right) (Photos by PTI and AP)

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has advised Tilak Varma to ignore outside criticism and focus on playing his natural game in the T20 World Cup 2026. Tilak has had a tough tournament so far, scoring 107 runs in five matches at a modest strike rate. In the match against South Africa, he tried to change his approach by playing aggressively, but it backfired when he got out attempting a big shot.

Kaif said Tilak should stick to being an anchor for the team, similar to Virat Kohli’s role, instead of trying to hit too many big shots. He pointed out that Tilak changed his style due to pressure over his strike rate, which affected his performance.“Tilak Varma has his own way of playing. He can afford to play with a slow strike rate. However, he got out while playing a big shot. There was pressure building on him for the strike rate. As a player, you do keep track of what is being said. But it is the job of the management to ask the player to stick to his role. He should play Virat Kohli’s role. He moved away from his gameplay by stepping out and going for a big shot. You’ll never be able to play if you listen to what others are saying,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.He also explained that India already has many aggressive batters, so Tilak’s job should be to stay till the end and guide the innings.“To become a chase master, you will have to first bat till the 20th over. Tilak Varma got out early, trying to hit. What is your role? Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Rinku Singh play attacking cricket. There should be at least one player who takes the game deep,” said Kaif.Tilak is expected to play in India’s crucial match against Zimbabwe in Chennai.