India Willing To Let Rishabh Pant Bat The Way He Wants, Says Rohit Sharma
Published - 15 Mar 2022, 12:11 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:05 AM
Indian Captain Rohit Sharma on Monday said that the team management is willing to let dashing young keeper-batter Rishabh Pant bat the way he wants, as their target is to qualify for the finals of the World Test Championship.
His words came after India demolished Sri Lanka in the second Test of the two-match series in Bengaluru, which was a pink-ball affair. Sri Lanka folded for 208 runs in the chase of 477-run target and lost the match by 238 runs and the series 0-2, this despite captain Dimuth Karunaratne scoring his 14th Test ton.
Rohit also underlined the point that Pant has been asked to respect the conditions and match situation and that the stumper-batter has got better with his game plans.
“We know how he bats and as a team, we just want to give him that freedom to bat in the way that he wants to bat. But also keep in mind certain situations of the game, where the game is going, we have conveyed that to him but we want to stick with his game plan as a team.
It just seems to get better and get better, his game-plans. There will be times when you will smash your head and say ‘why did he play that shot’ but again we need to be ready to accept that with him when he bats,” Rohit said at the post-match press conference.
Rishabh Pant was named the Player of the Series for his 185 runs in 3 innings at an average of 61 and strike-rate of 120.
Rishabh Pant’s Impact On The Game Is Instant And Team Willing To Let Him Bat As He Wants To: Rohit Sharma
Rishabh Pant gave Indian second innings a huge impetus as he slammed the fastest Test fifty by an Indian in just 28 balls, going past the record of legendary Kapil Dev, who had made a fifty in 30 balls against Pakistan in 1982. Rohit said the fact that his impact on a game is instant, they are willing to let him bat as he wants to.
“He is somebody who can change the game literally in half an hour or 40 minutes of the game. I think what comes with Rishabh Pant, we are ready to accept that. His keeping was best that I have seen. He kept well when England came last year and he seems to get better every time he keeps wickets for India, so that is something that I have been very impressed with,” Rohit said.
With a Point Percentage of 58.33, Team India went past Sri Lanka and now stands fifth on the points table. The top four teams are Australia (77.77%), Pakistan (66.66%), and South Africa (60.00%), respectively.
