England vs India 2021: Rishabh Pant Doesn't Need To Change Anything Drastically - Dinesh Karthik

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik feels that current No. 6 Rishabh Pant doesn’t need to make changes to his technique, especially midway through a 5-match Test series. Pant managed to get starts in the first three innings, but threw it away when the team was in a spot of bother.

Team India is playing with only six specialist batsmen and in tough batting conditions like in England, each player needs to pull his own weight. For the visitors, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have been at the top of their game, providing India with good starts.

The middle-order has been woeful, with one half-century each from Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane. This has put more pressure on the young shoulders of Pant, who has managed to survive the initial phase only to get dismissed in a questionable manner.

“Rishabh Pant has got most of his runs that way, he got tons of it in Australia and you will have to give him the time and allow him to flourish. I don’t think he needs to change anything drastically in the middle of the series. Pant knows how to deal with these conditions. He is a match-winner and I believe he will come good,” Karthik said to TOI.

“You can take that little bit of chance with Rishabh Pant” – Deep Dasgupta

The aspect of his batting that Pant has been found wanting is his defensive technique. At the Headingley, Pant managed scores of 2 and 1, mostly because he was unsure whether to trust his shaky defence or play his natural game and swing hard.

He needs to sort the decision-making in his head and focus on improving his defence. Deep Dasgupta, while mentioning the same, was assured that Pant is a match-winner on his day but needs to work on his shot-making as well.

“It is important that Pant’s thought process is not jumbled up. If Pant gets going in one innings, he will probably will win you the Test match. So you can take that little bit of chance with him. But saying that, Rishabh can still try to be a little careful about his shot selection,” Dasgupta, who is a former Indian cricketer, suggested.

The fourth Test between England and India will be played at The Oval, where unlike the Lord’s, the ball doesn’t jag around off the pitch as much. This might complement Pant’s style of playing across the line.

Also Read – England vs India 2021: We Expect A Lot From Him – WV Raman Says Virat Kohli Is Under “Lot Of Pressure”