Rishabh Pant managed to score only 49 runs in the two-Test series against South Africa at home.
Former India spinner Amit Mishra has advised Rishabh Pant to modify his batting style to maintain his place in the Test side.
According to Mishra, Pant's recent poor form and stubborn approach could lead to him being dropped if he fails to address the problem.
Having made his international debut in 2017, Pant has established himself as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in Tests, while making only sporadic appearances in white-ball formats.
“I have very high expectations from Rishabh Pant. Given the kind of player he is, he will also have to modify his game. Now, you can’t really call him a youngster anymore — he has been in the team since 2018. That’s what I’m saying: after a certain point in time, it becomes very important to modify your game,” Mishra said on the Men XP podcast.
“The opposition teams are watching you closely. They are observing you, understanding your game, and planning against you — where you hit fast bowling, which balls you don’t attack, they notice everything. So you also need to be aware of that. You can’t keep saying, ‘I got out the same way again here.’ That’s something you must avoid,” he added.
Mishra claimed Pant’s all-out attacking approach would not be fruitful everywhere, especially on turning tracks such as those served in the recent South Africa series.
“If a particular shot doesn’t work on a certain pitch, then don’t play it. You can’t insist on saying, ‘This is how I play, this is my game.’ Then go ahead and do it — you will do it for four or five matches more and eventually get dropped. You can’t expect it to work everywhere. You won’t get the same kind of wicket everywhere where you can keep hitting fours and sixes. At some places, you’ll get turning tracks; at others, there will be bounce or swing. How you handle those conditions — that’s up to you,” Mishra remarked.
Rishabh Pant managed to score only 49 runs in the two-Test series against South Africa at home. To add to his misery, the southpaw was also handed the leadership mantle in the absence of Shubman Gill, who was injured while batting during the first Test.
Under Pant’s leadership, India suffered a 0-2 clean sweep after losing Test matches in Kolkata and Guwahati.