Follow UsRishabh Pant is outrageous, and you don’t need an expert to say this. The left-hander walks out at the most precarious position every single time, and walks away with a wow on even the opposition’s face.
Pant continued to do outrageous things, hitting boundaries against all bowlers at his own will, with 12 fours and six monstrous sixes during his 178-ball 134 against England, on June 21 (Saturday), that Pant yet again made the headlines, smashing several records.
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri revealed that he was mesmerised by Pant from the first day. Shastri further added that it is a combination of ‘numbers and mind’ when it comes to Pant’s batting style.
“First, he's outrageous. I saw that from the first day I saw him, and I liked what I saw. He's different from the rest of them; he plays on his own terms. At times, he’ll play the numbers game; he’ll just do what his mind says. That’s Rishabh Pant for you,” Shastri told BCCI.
At 221/3, India were in a good position at Headingley but were further boosted into an excellent position when Pant took the attack to the opposition. Eventually, when Pant departed, India’s score read: 453/6, which is what makes him extremely dangerous in Tests.
“There’s a package there, it can be extremely dangerous in Test match cricket. I think ever since he’s come into that No.5 slot, he’s been extremely consistent. If you are 30/3, for example, you might be tempted to send someone else, but with him, he’s so aggressive, he can turn the course of the game, and then for the others to make the most of it,” he said.
What made Pant’s efforts even more outrageous was how he, despite being on 99, took the bait against off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, and smashed him to get to his seventh Test century, a record most for an Indian wicketkeeper batter, and his third in England.
“The other way to look at it is if he has got a platform like he got today, in this innings, if he comes after lunch with a score of above 100, he can make you pay the price for it because of his audacity. I mean the second ball, how many people will hit Stokes down the ground? It is a message to the opposition, ‘I’m not here to just fool around, I’m here to take the attack.’”