After his side was virtually eliminated from the playoff race, Justin Langer, head coach of the Lucknow Super Giants, stated that although the 27 crore price tag doesn’t always ensure performance, Rishabh Pant is dealing with the responsibility that comes with managing an IPL team.
Despite posting a respectable 228/5, LSG succumbed to the Mumbai Indians by five wickets. Langer did defend an out-of-form Pant, who has also appeared to be out of sync as a skipper.
“I don’t think the money has anything to do with it,” PTI quoted Langer telling reporters in Mumbai after LSG’s defeat.
“What I do think is that leadership is a tough position and he is carrying a lot of pressure for the team. But he is chipping away, he is working hard, and he has had a match-winning game earlier in the season,” Langer tried to defend the under-fire skipper but didn’t sound convincing.
“We love it when we see him smiling and playing that swashbuckling style of play and he is not far off,” Langer added.
Pant will continue to take up the challenges, according to Langer.
“We played a practice game here two days ago and Rishi got, maybe 95 off 40 balls or 30 balls or something, and looking at (it) you go ‘that’s Rishabh Pant at his very best’,” he said.
“We’ve seen him in Test cricket destroy teams at No. 5, and we felt with the way he played just two days ago after we’ve had a seven day break, that might be a good option for the team.”
“Rishi is not far off as a captain in the IPL. As a coach, you got to keep fronting up, that’s all you can do, and he’ll keep fronting up and hopefully he’ll help us get some wins over the next few games.”
The former Australian opener said he was happy that LSG had adjusted their batting lineup and that Pooran had returned to form following a slump.
“The whole restructure of our batting order was a positive. Last season (with) all our metrics we were on top of everything with our batting, this year we are right down the bottom so we had to do something right, we restructured it,” Langer said.
“You try and work out the jigsaw puzzle, which (way) works best for the team. We’ve chopped and changed the opening positions a few times. (Josh) Inglis brought really good spark, (Mitchell) Marsh as well. If you’re winning, everyone says the jigsaw puzzle is right. But one part of the jigsaw puzzle today which was a positive was Nicky Pooran,” he added.
Langer said that losing games damages a player’s or coach’s reputation, but he doesn’t get upset about it.
“Your reputation can often get a bit bruised and scarred by performance, but your character… I wake up every single day I know that I know my character so I never lose a minute’s sleep over what I’m or what all the coaches are putting in the job,” he said.
“The work ethic the honesty the integrity of it, caring for our people but yeah your reputation gets battered like a player if you’re not performing and the reality is that is a part of the job and it’s a tough business.”
