IND vs SL: Huge Decision By Rohit Sharma And Rahul Dravid To Back Rishabh Pant At No. 5 - Saba Karim
Published - 15 Mar 2022, 06:05 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:05 AM
Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim credited Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid for batting wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant at no.5 in the recently concluded two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
On Monday, India defeated Sri Lanka by 238 runs in the second Test at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru as the match was completed inside three days.
Rishabh Pant smashed the fastest Test fifty by an Indian player
Pant scored 185 in three innings at an average of 61.67 and a strike rate of 120.13. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter scored the fastest fifty by an Indian player in 28 balls in the second innings of the Day-Night Test.
In his post-match press conference, Rohit said that they are ready to accept Rishabh Pant’s attacking batting style as it reaps rewards sometimes.
Rishabh Pant is batting with a lot of confidence: Saba Karim
Karim said that it was important for Pant to get the support of his captain as it allows him to play explosive shots and go after the bowlers. The former Indian skipper also appreciated Rohit and Dravid’s decision to bat Pant at No.5.
“It has been a huge decision by Rohit and Rahul Dravid to back Rishabh Pant at No. 5. They think they can get more out of Pant at No. 5 and with Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja to follow, it makes India’s middle-order look extremely strong. The rate at which he scores runs also has a huge impact on a Test match,” Karim said on Khelneeti Podcasts.
“When you give this kind of freedom to a player, only then does he play with freedom and express himself. Rishabh Pant is batting with a lot of confidence and that has reflected in his wicketkeeping too, the way he kept against three quality spinners was fantastic,” he added.
India’s win percentage across all three formats in the 2021-22 home season was 93.7 as they have won 15 of 16 matches, only Australia has a better record of 100% win record during the 2000-01 home season.
