India vs Australia: Why Rohit Sharma-led side badly missed Rishabh Pant in Indore Test

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India's joyride against Australia came crashing down in Indore. In the third Test, it was the hosts who suffered a defeat within three days, thus jeopardizing their chances to wrap up the berth for the WTC final.

And soon after the defeat, it was Rishabh Pant whose name was circling around the internet. There was a common agony of the netizens, that is India are missing Rishabh Pant!

Pant is currently in rehabilitation as he recovers from the horrific accident that he suffered last year. The southpaw will be out for a significant period of time and the possible time period can be anything between six months to a year.

But Rishabh Pant has been a big miss for India without a doubt. The Indian wicketkeeper's batting approach is far superior to KS Bharat, who has been struggling with the bat so far.

KS Bharat's Struggle:

Bharat, despite his domestic credentials, has managed only 57 runs in this Test series in five innings, which clearly hasn't been any help for the Indian team. In Indore, Bharat amassed only 20 runs in the two innings, and failed to stitch a partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara in the second innings.

A decent partnership at that stage could have aided India big time, but he perished for just 3 runs.

And this is where India are missing Rishabh Pant. Pant's counter-attacking mentality, batting prowess and ability to dominate the bowlers amid adverse situations were missed in the Indore Test. The Indian custodian has previously dismantled Nathan Lyon, and things could have been different had he been in Indore. Lyon ended up picking 11 wickets in the match, but none of the batters except Shreyas Iyer showed any intent to score runs off the veteran Aussie bowler.

Rishabh Pant record vs Australia:

Pant was the best Test batter for India in 2022. And against Australia, he has a fantastic record as well. The southpaw has played all his Tests against Australia in Australia, and has amassed 624 runs at an average of 62.4, depicting his dominance over the Aussies.

The Indian batter scored an unbeaten 159 in Sydney back in 2019, but his most famous inning against Australia came in Brisbane when an unbeaten 89 won India the match in 2021.

Pant and his impact:

Things could have been different had Rishabh Pant been there in Indore. India captain Rohit Sharma criticized his batters for lack of aggressiveness, and Rishabh Pant epitomizes aggression. The swashbuckling batter has an innate ability of scoring runs in difficult conditions, and score them at a rapid pace. Hence he would have been a perfect foil to someone like Pujara, especially in the second innings, where some extra runs would have been pivotal.

It will be still a long wait for India to get Pant back in the dressing room, but till then, they need to find a solution. It was a collective failure of the Indian team in Indore, but India could have make some inroads had Pant been there.

India are still ahead in the Test series and will be aiming to make amends in the final Test, which starts in Ahmedabad from March 9. India can seal their spot for the WTC final by avoiding a defeat and that will mean another meet with Australia in June at the Oval.