Former Indian opener WV Raman believes Rishabh Pant must be given the license to play an attacking brand in the upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka. Raman added that operating like a traditional Test batter could harm Pant’s effectiveness.
The 26-year-old wicketkeeper batter has been one of India’s biggest match-winners in Tests over the past decade. Pant has amassed over 3,500 runs at an excellent average of 43.37 in 50 Tests.
Yet, he has often been criticized for playing ungainly shots at inopportune times in the red-ball format over the years.
Talking about Rishabh Pant’s ideal batting approach ahead of the Sri Lankan Test series, Raman said on IANS:
“He has got to go and play the way he knows to bat, and that’s when he will be at his best. I think if he personally looks at playing more like a Test batter, or somebody where he insists that he bats like a normal Test batter, then it will be a case of him getting into a bit of a tangle.”
He added:
“Rishabh Pant must be given a free license to play the way he plays. I think he is at his best when he plays his aggressive brand of cricket. He has won a few Test matches abroad from really dire situations. So, I think Rishabh Pant deserves to be given that license.”
Despite his iffy form in other formats, Pant has remained rock-solid in Tests, averaging over 50 in eight matches since the start of last year.
“It’s so easy to have the wonderful benefit of hindsight” – WV Raman on Rishabh Pant’s Test dismissals
WV Raman further defended Rishabh Pant by calling out the hindsight analysis often done on the latter’s dismissal off attacking shots in Tests. The former opener opined that asking the left-hander to bat more conventionally could result in a conflict between his mind and his reflexes.
“It’s so easy to have the wonderful benefit of hindsight, isn’t it? But the fact of the matter is that we need to really slot and assess players based on their strengths and their limitations. If you are looking at Rishabh Pant’s strengths, as far as I am concerned, his strength is batting aggressively, going after the bowlers, getting runs quickly,” said Raman (via the aforementioned source).
He concluded:
“But if he were to be asked to bat defensively and in the conventional mode, then what would happen is that there will be a bit of a conflict between his mind and his trained reflexes because the mind will be telling him to try and take it easy. But his responses to a cricket ball will be faster than what his mind is telling him. So, that is not going to really help him.”
Pant’s attacking batting has been instrumental in some of India’s most memorable Test wins, including the series triumph down under in 2020/21. The southpaw will be playing his first Test match in Sri Lanka in the opening game of the two-match series at Galle, starting tomorrow (August 15).
Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran