NEWS
Follow UsFormer South African batter JP Duminy felt tha Rishabh Pant's counterattacking hundred in the third Test at Cape Town was assessing the conditions properly without compromising on his natural aggression.
On the fourth day of the series deciding match, Pant scored an unbeaten 100 off 139 balls as India set South Africa a target of 212.
"We know the ability he has. He is aggressive by nature and everyone appreciates how he wants to move the game forward by taking on the bowlers," Duminy told Cricket.com.
Pant was heavily criticised for his shot selection in the series where he scored 8,34 in the first Test at Centurion and 17 in the first innings in the second Test. His aggressive batting style came under further scrutiny when he was out for a duck in the second innings at Johannesburg when India was losing wickets.
Duminy felt that it is natural to attract criticism when the aggressive plan doesn't pay off.
"There'll be murmurs about that, particularly when it doesn't come off. Sometimes the question is not about what is the right option but if it's a soft option? The actual thing is about identifying with what his true nature is," he said.
The 37-year old felt that playing according to the conditions was a big part of Pant's success in the third Test after a string of poor scores.
"I think understanding the conditions is also a part of his conversations with Kohli or Dravid. What is the best way to play which allows him to execute his best percentage. For example, he tried to hit Rabada over his head in the second Test where the bounce was inconsistent. It is about discussing what is the best option to play his game in these conditions."
The former South African batter also felt that Dravid's coaching style will have had a big impact in Pant tweaking his mindset for the big innings.
"Coaching has come a far way in cricket where the coach does not tell you what to do but its about facilitating a conversation where you find your answers. I know from my experience playing under Dravid at Delhi Daredevils, it is how he coaches the players," Duminy said.
Before the third Test, Dravid said that the management had conversations with the 24-year old about the timing of his aggressive shots.
"We know Rishabh plays positively and in a particular manner. But at some level we need to have conversations with him. Nobody's going to tell him not to be positive or aggressive but it more about picking and choosing the timing. He's always learning and keeps getting better," Dravid said.
India Test captain Virat Kohli was also confident that the keeper-batter will keep rectifying his mistakes as he remembered former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's advise about making mistakes in international cricket.
"MS Dhoni had a great advice for me: Between one mistake and the next one, there should be a gap of 7-8 months, that's when you'll have a long career in international cricket. This is something which is ingrained in my mind and it happens when you reflect on your mistakes. Rishabh also does the same thing and Im sure he will reflect on what he needs to do for the team and put in big performance," Kohli told BCCI.tv ealier in the week.
Pant scored his first hundred on South African soil as he put up a 94-run stand with his captain for the fifth wicket. His 100 not out off 139 balls put him on an elite list alongside Australia great Adam Gilchrist as the only two wicketkeepers to score Test hundreds in England, Australia and South Africa.