IND vs SA: We've Spoken About How I Can Play With Patience And According To The Situation - Rishabh Pant

Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant revealed that the team management tries to have positive conversations at all times and helps him play according to the situation in most cases.

Pant played a counter-attacking 85-run knock in the second ODI against South Africa which happened to be his career-best score in the format. Unfortunately, it ended in a losing cause but Pant’s batsmanship was the shining light in an otherwise poor performance from the Indians.

“There are always positive talks that as an individual what I can do. All the strokes are there but how can I play with patience and according to the situation. So a lot of discussions happen. And whatever we discuss, we practice and after that try to implement in the match,” Pant told reporters after the second ODI.

Prior to the series, India had issues with assigning the No.4 role with plenty of options available. Shreyas Iyer was expected to be the choice but Rahul Dravid and co. instead opted for Pant.

“The reason to bat at number four was if a left-hander gets a chance to bat in the middle, then it becomes easy to rotate the strike, with the left-right combination, especially in the middle overs when leg-spinners or left-arm spinners bowl….. so that is why the team management felt that a left-handed batter should bat and that is why that role was given to me,” Pant mentioned.

SA spinners were more consistent in their line and length – Rishabh Pant

One of the reasons that Pant gave for India’s poor outing was the lack of practice in the 50-over format, which has taken a backseat due to the T20Is and Tests taking over. Notably, Pant also reckoned the Proteas spinners outbowled their Indian counterparts consistently.

“I think they (SA spinners) were more consistent in their lines and lengths and they are used to playing in these conditions. We are playing ODIs after a long time and lots of factors we can talk about but as a team, we are always looking to improve and hopefully, we will be able to rectify them in coming matches,” Pant added.

With the defeat, India’s tour of South Africa will end without a series win, a rarity in recent times.

Also Read – IND vs SA: India Misjudged South Africa And Were Overconfident – Imran Tahir