Not Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma! Mark Wood names every bowler's worst nightmare
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England has one of the deadliest fast bowlers. Mark Wood has highlighted the challenge faced by bowlers while bowling to Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who is widely known for his aggressive brand of cricket and described him as an unpredictable cricketer.
Whenever it comes to Indian cricket, two names that often hit the charts are those of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The two veterans have troubled the bowlers with their immense class over the years. While Kohli is more orthodox and aims to settle in, Rohit is more into banging the balls out of the park.
However, when asked to pick the Indian batter most difficult to bowl at, England's renowned speedster Mark Wood has suggested a name other than these two veterans. He has rated the left-handed wicket-keeper batsman over the two veterans.
Mark Wood explains the cons of bowling to a batter like Rishabh Pant
England pacer Mark Wood mentions how bowling to Rishabh Pant is a very tough job due to the unique challenges posed by the batsman against any bowler. Pant often forces the bowlers to rethink their approach since he never fails to shock everyone with his insane antics on the field.
The fearless stroke play of the Indian left-hander against the sheer pace of the England bowler Mark Wood has often fueled an intense rivalry between the two. Rishabh Pant enjoys batting against England, with a record 1260 runs in just 16 games at an average of 46.66 and 5 centuries.
“I think you've got to hold your nerve. That's basically what I would say, because I think you have to be so unpredictable that it plays into his hands," Mark Wood said on the Stick to Cricket podcast as quoted from Sky Sports.
"He can just stand there and wait for anything difficult. But if you're the same all the time, then he's got such a good eye, he sort of hits it where he wants."
"So I think you've got to have a mixture of holding your nerve with maybe the odd ball that's a bit unpredictable — whether it's a slower ball, or you might change up with a really high bouncer, or something slightly different,” Mark Wood added.
Rishabh Pant missed India's Asia Cup campaign
Rishabh Pant last featured for India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, where he played in 4 matches and scored 479 runs in the series with 2 hundreds to his name, alongside the three half-centuries he scored.
He, however, sustained a massive blow to his right foot while he attempted to reverse sweep seamer Chris Woakes in the fourth Test of the series. The blow fractured his foot, and the batter had to be carried off the ground. Despite this, he batted to secure India a wicket in the first innings and also scored a half-century.
Everyone praised Pant for the courage he showed at Old Trafford, however, this had a bad impact on his Asia Cup hopes, since he was snubbed from the decisive Test at Oval and missed the upcoming Asia Cup as well, since he has not recovered from the injury yet.
Pant would be eyeing a return in the West Indies Test series
Rishabh Pant's injury recovery has found a slight pace since it was reported by media sources that his plaster has been removed and he would very soon be flown to the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
At the CoE, Pant would be undergoing a short yet engaging rehabilitation process, where he would be focusing on his fitness and would look to engage back in the game by the end of September, especially before the squads are picked for the West Indies and the Australia series.
India will begin their home Test series against the West Indies on the 2nd of October.
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India National Cricket Team Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Mark Wood England National Cricket Team Rishabh Pant India vs England England vs India
