IPL 2022: Rishabh Pant batting at No. 3 could be the way forward for Delhi Capitals, feels Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith feels that Rishabh Pant promoting himself to number three in the batting order may be the path Delhi Capitals (DC) should look at in their future matches of IPL 2022. In their six-wicket loss to Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday, Pant struggled to get going at the start before ending up with 39 off 36 balls in his team's below-par 149/3 in 20 overs. Jason Holder and Avesh Khan tied him down with yorkers and slower balls.

"Rishabh has got starts in every game...The strike rate hasn't quite happened but everyone needs to be patient. Today (on Thursday) DC needed to rebuild after losing a couple of wickets but true, the strong finish never came. They needed to get to a total of 170-180," Smith was quoted as saying by cricket.com.

Asked whether Delhi should continue with Pant at four, Smith had a different take. "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." Pant is yet to notch up big scores in IPL 2022 while his wicketkeeping contemporaries, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson and Dinesh Karthik have produced impactful performances. Smith, who won the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008 with Rajasthan Royals, thinks that an indifferent start to Pant's form in IPL 2022 won't have any bearing on his spot in the Indian team for T20 World Cup in Australia later in the year.

"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, 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