IND vs SL: Wasim Jaffer Praised Rishabh Pant’s Maverick Like Approach In 2nd Innings Of 2nd Test

Mar 14, 2022 at 4:45 PM

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IND vs SL: Wasim Jaffer Praised Rishabh Pant’s Maverick Like Approach In 2nd Innings Of 2nd Test

Wasim Jaffer was all praise for wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who on Sunday broke Kapil Dev’s 40-year-old record for the fastest Test fifty by an Indian. Wasim Jaffer lauded the youngster’s maverick-like approach to batting, explaining how he isn’t reckless but calculative with his aggression.

Batting in the second innings of the second India-Sri Lanka Test, Rishabh Pant smashed his fifty off just 28 deliveries, hitting seven fours and two sixes. Kapil Dev had taken two more deliveries to score his fifty in the 1982 Test against Pakistan in Karachi.

Wasim Jaffer (Credits: Twitter)
Wasim Jaffer (Credits: Twitter)

Wasim Jaffer: Rishabh Pant Is Methodical In His Aggressive Approach

Rishabh Pant’s fifty was also special because it came on a Bengaluru pitch where most batters have struggled. The rank-turner has an unpredictable bounce, with Rishabh Pant’s fifty being only the third of a match that is approaching a three-day conclusion.

Rishabh Pant was dismissed on 96 off 97 balls on Day 1 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali. He also scored a brisk 39 off 26 balls in the first innings of the 2nd Test and now has 185 runs averaging 61.67 in the series.

Speaking after Day 2, Wasim Jaffer said: “Looking at him, there’s a method to what he does. He comes out and attacks the first few balls. Obviously, the team (opposition) expects him to do that, but he puts the (opposition) team on the back foot, and then he plays the waiting game and then surprises with his attacking shots. I feel sometimes we just see that Rishabh Pant only attacks and attacks but I think there’s a lot of method to it.”

Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer
Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. (Photo Source: BCCI)

On the back of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer (67 off 87)’s knocks, India put up an impressive 303/9 declared in their second innings, setting an unlikely target of 447 for the visitors. When asked if Rishabh Pant’s approach was the template batters should use on rank-turners, Wasim Jaffer replied in affirmative. He said that playing shots and the ability to put spinners off their lengths is the way to go about things.

Wasim Jaffer Surprised By Hanuma Vihari’s Slow Approach As He Expected Him To Bat More Positively

The former opener expressed surprise that Hanuma Vihari, who came to bat at No. 3 and scored 35 off 79 in the second innings, didn’t use Rishabh Pant’s template.

Wasim Jaffer said: “I think so. I think on this kind of pitches you are expected to play a lot more shots and that’s what we expect from him. He comes out attacks the first few balls, puts the spinners on the backfoot. Then the spinners are scared to bowl fuller and then he waits on the backfoot and scores a lot on the square of the pitch.”

Wasim Jaffer added: “We see a kind of pattern to his batting, and he makes the most of it. He’s got shots all over the ground as well. And on this kind of pitches, you’ll see him reverse sweeping, and other different shots that he’s got himself prepared to play. That’s probably the right way.”

Hanuma Vihari (Image Credit: Twitter)
Hanuma Vihari (Image Credit: Twitter)

He concluded: “I was surprised Vihari didn’t put this approach to play. I expected him to also bat a little more positively because on this kind of pitches there’s one ball which has your name on it…

“I think when Virat came in, then you saw the batting took a little bit of force but before that there wasn’t that kind of a thing. Rohit, obviously, started aggressively, but I was surprised with Vihari’s approach. He should have been a little more positive.”

Sri Lanka lost opener Lahiru Thirimanne before stumps, reaching the close of play at 28-1. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared three wickets between them as Sri Lanka were 151 for 4 at Tea on Day 3 against India in the Pink-ball Test. Sri Lanka need another 296 runs to win while India are 6 wickets away from 2-0 series victory.

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