Batting great Sunil Gavaskar has sent a stern warning to Rishabh Pant to show some respect to the bowlers in the first half an hour. The star wicketkeeper batter has not been able to make an impact with the bat in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The left-handed batter has scored just 96 runs in five innings so far in the series and is under pressure to play a big knock in the remaining two Tests at MCG and SCG, respectively. With no fifties on the tour so far, Pant struggled against the swinging deliveries as other Indian batters have also faltered in the first three Tests.
Pant often looks to take on the bowlers right from the start, which can also be seen in this series, but Gavaskar advised him to take a little bit of time and respect the situation before switching to his naturally aggressive game.
“What Rishabh Pant has to do, like everybody else, respect the first half an hour; respect a little bit when he gets in there, whatever the position, unless, of course, India is 525 for 3; then he can tee off,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
The 27-year-old has managed scores of 37, 1, 21, 28, and 9 in his five innings across three Tests.
Pant, who famously scripted a match-winning knock at the Gabba in 2021, has shown flashes of brilliance in the first innings of Perth and then in pink-ball Test at Adelaide but he failed to convert the starts into big scores.
“…they get the ball to angle across. Pat Cummins and even (Josh) Hazlewood give him a little bit of a problem; Scott Boland will give him a little bit of a problem because Boland bowls around that area as well,” he added.
‘Haven’t seen some counter-punching efforts from Rishabh Pant’: Hayden
Australian legend Matthew Hayden, a self-confessed admirer of Pant, urged the Indian batter to embrace his fearless approach, saying it could be a game-changer for the visitors.
“I have always been a fan of his. He’s kind of a different cheese; there is no doubt about it. And I would like to just see him explore that as well because he should be coming in a situation where, as I mentioned before, there are lots of runs; and if so, that’s a perfect scenario for him to be (in).
“But it’s also the perfect scenario for Team India. A little bit like Rohit Sharma, I think we haven’t seen some counter-punching efforts from Rishabh, but he should have no fear in these conditions. I think in the absence of fear comes a great opportunity for Rishabh and Team India,” said Hayden.
India will face Australia in the third Test at the MCG starting December 26.
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