Rahul Dravid Needs To Sit With Rishabh Pant, Asserts Sunil Gavaskar
Published - 02 Feb 2022, 06:42 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:04 AM
Legendary Indian player Sunil Gavaskar wants Indian team head coach Rahul Dravid to calmly sit with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and discuss batting with him.
Pant is a free-flowing batter who can change the course of the game from opposition’s hands and explode in the slog overs for his team.
Pant had a pivotal role in India’s historic Test series win in Down Under last year as he went berserk against the Australian bowlers and scored an unbeaten 89.
However, the Indian gloveman has always found place on the minds of cricket pundits. Most often, Pant gets chastised for playing reckless shots and for throwing away his important wicket.
Rishabh Pant’s dismissals against South Africa once again brings question on his approach
In the second innings of the Johannesburg Test, Rabada bowled a short ball to Pant that pinged his gloves but didn’t go aerial.
But the very next delivery, Pant came down the track to smash Rabada’s short ball, which kissed his ba to his counterpart Kyle Verreynne behind the stumps. He departed on 34 from as many balls.
In the third ODI against South Africa, Pant went for a golden duck as he charged down the wicket to strike Andile Phehlukwayo but was caught at the sweeper cover.
Rahul Dravid will sit him down and tell Rishabh Pant some home truths: Sunil Gavaskar
Gavaskar said that Pant needs to stay in the middle before he goes on to play the big shots by giving the best examples of his couple of innings against Australia.
“We all know what he is capable of. We all are changing our views and opinions about him every other day. One day he plays a blinder of an innings, the next day he plays a shot which makes you wonder. But somewhere down the line, my feeling is that Rahul Dravid will sit him down and tell him what a marvelous talent he is. And all that he needs to do is to give himself a little bit of time in the middle like he did in Australia,” Gavaskar said on Sports Today.
“The reason we bring that Australia Tests up is that when he scored that 96 in Sydney, 89 is Brisbane, he gave himself time and only after that he started to go for the big shots. And that’s because it becomes easier. You know what the pitch is doing, your feet is moving, your eye is set. And with all those shots, even if he scores 0 off 10 deliveries, in the next 4 he can score 16.
“That is the capability that he has, so that is why now Rahul Dravid needs to sit with him and tell him some home truths. This is what is expected to you when you bat at No. 4. We don’t want a strike rate of 300, we want a strike-rate where you are taking the team home. He has done it in the past and he can do it again. With that goodness in talent, comes a little sense of wanting to do that much better for the team,” he added.
Pant is part of India’s T20I and ODI squads that will play against West Indies in the upcoming white-ball series at home.
