Pant slammed twin centuries in the Leeds Test against England.
India opener KL Rahul defended Rishabh Pant's batting approach after the wicketkeeper-batter slammed his second hundred of the match on Day 4 of the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds.
Pant followed up his brilliant 134 in the first innings with an entertaining 118 in the second essay, helping the visitors take control of the match alongside Rahul, who scored a ton (137) of his own.
With this knock, the southpaw joined Zimbabwe legend Andy Flower in the elite list, who had achieved this feat against South Africa at Harare in 2001.
Pant and Rahul’s centuries helped India set a target of 371 for England to chase on the final day.
Rishabh Pant often faces flak for his reckless aggressive style of play, but Rahul stressed that there is a clear method behind the former’s approach to batting in Test cricket.
"It is hard for us to understand his mindset but you let Rishabh Pant be Rishabh Pant. There is obviously a method to his madness as he is averaging 45 in Test cricket. There is a lot of thinking about the outrageous shots he plays. You just try to calm him down as much as possible between balls," Rahul told reporters after the close of play.
The Leeds Test is evenly poised after four days of hard-fought contest between the two teams. While England need 350 more runs in the chase of 371, the visitors are 10 wickets away from sealing victory on the final day.
Rahul expressed confidence about India’s chances while acknowledging the challenge ahead. "It's a blockbuster finish waiting tomorrow. At this stage of cricket I'm at, I'm a lot more calm in my head and not chasing numbers. Someone's got to win tomorrow, it'll be an interesting day," he said.
Rahul also highlighted the deteriorating batting conditions. "The wicket is not as easy as the first innings, they won't find it as easy to hit the ball on the rise," he remarked, suggesting the target of 371 would be challenging for the home team.