Rishabh Pant, the India wicketkeeper-batter, talked about his equation with former India coach Ravi Shastri. He also talked about his understanding of the ex-India player who was associated with the Indian team from 2015 to 2021 as director and head coach.
Rishabh Pant will make his Test return after more than 20 months. Pant was named in India’s Tests quad for the first match of the two-match series against Bangladesh that will be played on September 19 in Chennai.
Rishabh Pant’s final Test appearance was against Bangladesh in December 2022, soon before his horrible accident that forever altered his life and career. He has represented India in 33 Tests and scored numerous remarkable innings that have cemented his place in cricket history.
The swashbuckling batter has already made a remarkable comeback in white-ball cricket, playing a key role in India’s dramatic 2024 T20 World Cup victory in Barbados.
Pant has scored some memorable runs for India in Test cricket as well, notably an unbroken 89 against Australia to break into their stronghold Gabba in 2021.
The left-handed wicketkeeper praised previous head coach Ravi Shastri for providing him the opportunity to express himself on the play.
“It was an amazing relationship. I had a great understanding with Ravi Shastri as he gave me the freedom I wanted. I don’t like it when someone tells me not to do a specific thing; instead, I prefer someone giving me a better option. I would rather switch to a better option than avoid anything,” Pant said on Tanmay Bhat’s YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, everyone is waiting for his Test comeback, a format in which he was a force to be reckoned with before to the forced absence from cricket caused by the injury.
“You should play reverse-sweep against an off-spinner”- Rishabh Pant recalls Ravi Shastri’s advice during his struggles
Rishabh Pant recently made his red-ball comeback in the Duleep Trophy for the India B team and played a whirlwind knock of 67 runs to help his team defeat India A in Bengaluru.
Pant reflected on his early trials, recalling a time when he battled against off-spinners while attempting aggressive strokes. During this time, Shastri gave him some game-changing advice.
Shastri recognized the need for a fresh technique and suggested that Pant use the reverse sweep to counter off-spin deliveries.
“There was a time when I was getting out to off-spinners while playing shots against them. Ravi bhai was thinking about what he should tell me, then he came to me and told me that we have to find a way to tackle off-spinner. He told me that he had found a way and said, “You should play reverse-sweep against an off-spinner and this was about Test cricket,” he added.
This tactical change was expressly designed to improve the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman’s effectiveness in Test cricket, giving him a new weapon to address such issues across formats.
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