Former Lucknow Super Giants assistant coach Vijay Dahiya has backed LSG captain Rishabh Pant following his underwhelming season in the Indian Premier League 2025. The former cricketer added that any player requires some time to deliver after joining a new team, while also pointing out that the Super Giants played several close games that didn’t go their way. While lauding Rishabh Pant‘s captaincy skills, Dahiya credited him for finishing the season on a high with the bat.
His statement comes as the Lucknow Super Giants finished seventh in the IPL 2025 points table, as they managed only six wins in 14 games. With the bat, the left-hander Rishabh Pant scored 269 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 133.16 with the best score of 118* off 61 balls against eventual winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their last league game.
Vijay Dahiya’s Views On Rishabh Pant’s performance last season
Speaking to Sports Yaari’s You Tube channel, Vijay Dahiya said: “First year is very challenging for anyone from the captaincy point of view. It’s not easy to do captaincy, and there are some results that could’ve gone in our favour. There were close matches; if they had gone our way, then the decision might have been completely different. It’s a result-oriented game; how the teams perform and the captain’s performance are seen from where you have ended.”
Vijay Dahiya added: “He is being groomed as captain, and he has the ability required for captaincy. It’s just a word. I think he’s a leader; he can bring people together. Obviously, there is pressure when you enter a new setup.. Personally, he finished the season on a good note, scoring a 100. He can start the season from there.”Â
A point to note, LSG had bought Rishabh Pant for a whopping INR 27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, which made him the costliest player in the T20 league’s history.
Vijay Dahiya taking a sarcastic dig at critics after the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar TrophyÂ
Vijay Dahiya also took a dig at the critics while lauding Shubman Gill-led India for drawing the five-match Test series in England 2-2. The cricketer turned coach lauded Team India for their fighting cum winning mentality.
In the same video, he said: “In the third (fourth Test in Manchester), you almost batted 1.5 days to save the Test match. And then you win the last Test to settle for a draw. This doesn’t just show the skillset but also shows the mentality of the dressing room. Anything takes time, and it takes the most for a change in mentality, what kind of cricket you want to play. What kind of culture do you want to create?”
Vijay Dahiya further added: “Whoever has seen that, India has a lot of experts, so they pull the hair out of the skin. If you look at world cricket and the experts and the series, they also think it was brilliant.”Â
Notably, captain Shubman Gill amassed 754 runs which included a big double century and three centuries. He emerged as the leading run-getter in the Test series. India came from behind to win the second and fifth Tests. The tourists also drew the fourth Test with their fighting display with the bat.
It remains to be seen what the road ahead for Pant is. Right now, he is dealing with a fractured toe and is on the road to recovery. He will be out for a while and obviously not part of Asia Cup squad. He is also set to miss the 2-Test series against West Indies at home starting on October 2nd. India will have to manage and do without Pant. Luckily, they are playing at home and will manage something out with other players chipping in.
Let’s hope he recovers fast and roars back in the Indian team sooner rather than later. He is an important member of the Test side in more ways than one.
Also Read:Â IPL 2026: Ravichandran Ashwin Retires From IPL.