Mathews heaped praised on Pant ahead of the India-Sri Lanka Test series.
Former Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews warned that preparing extreme turning pitches can backfire on home teams as batting becomes very hard for everyone on such tracks.
Mathews pointed out that both Sri Lanka and India have faced negative results when they rolled out rank turners against strong visiting sides.
His comment came ahead of the two-Test series between Sri Lanka and India, which got underway on Saturday (August 15) at the Galle International Stadium.
"If I am not mistaken, India played on quite a few ranked turners against New Zealand and South Africa. Sometimes, it could backfire. We played on ranked turners against foreign teams and it has backfired for us as well. Because it's not easy as a batsman to play on ranked turners no matter how good you are," Mathews said in an interview with TOI on Friday.
Mathews praised India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant prior to the Test series, comparing his aggressive, match-winning potential to Virender Sehwag's impact against Sri Lanka.
He recalled how Sehwag stood tall and disrupted bowling attacks—such as when Ajantha Mendis troubled India—and views Pant as sharing that same destructive capability.
"I remember when Ajanta Mendis was running through the Indian batting line-up, Sehwag was the one standing tall. He was so destructive and such a disruption. Pant is such a player," Mathews stated.
"Pant takes the game on as soon as he walks into the crease. So, bowlers, watch out. A player like that needs backing. A guy like that who can take the game away within a few hours should be backed," he added.
Mathews advised batters to be proactive in Sri Lanka by using their feet well, executing sweep shots cleanly, and knowing clear scoring options rather than relying solely on defense against spin.
"It's about being proactive. I think if you are sweeping, sweep well. If you are using your feet, use your feet well. So, it's all about using your feet and also knowing your options of how to score runs on those wickets is going to be crucial."
Mathews stressed that it won’t be wise to expect pitches to only favor slow bowlers in Sri Lanka as fast bowlers remain a major threat.
"It's definitely not wise to believe that cricket in Sri Lanka will be dictated only by spin," he said. "I wouldn't rule out the faster bowlers also because they are skillful. Guys like Asif Fernando and Vishwa Fernando have a bigger role to play as well, especially with the new ball."
Angelo Mathews expressed disappointment over the lack of Test matches for Sri Lanka after stalwarts like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene retired. He claimed that big teams avoid playing them, and the ICC must step in to help Sri Lanka play more Test cricket.
"I don't think poor performance or whatever has to do anything with that. It's just that it's disappointing that the so-called big teams or who is not wanting to play too many matches against Sri Lanka is quite disheartening. And I think ICC has a bigger role to play in this," Mathews opined.
"We have not been consistent throughout which can happen to any team. The more we play, the more we learn. We are playing Test matches one year apart. Sri Lanka Cricket can discuss with ICC and other boards as well and try to accommodate more Test cricket," he further remarked.
(With TOI Inputs)