Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman lauded Rishabh Pant for his heroics in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series and said that the Brisbane Test knock will define Rishabh Pant as a cricketer.
India went a little bit safer in the first Test match by playing Wriddhiman Saha ahead of Rishabh Pant for the lone wicketkeeper's role in the playing XI.
However, with Virat Kohli not being available for the rest of the series, Rishabh Pant was drafted into the Indian XI to fortify their batting strength.
The 23-year-old was a revelation with the bat, making an immediate impact by scoring a momentum-changing 30 in India's win at MCG, a match that India won by 8 wickets.
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Rishabh Pant then smashed 97 off 118 in SCG as India chased the 407-run target and gave Australia bowlers a panic attack and gave India unlikely hope of winning.
Rishabh Pant, 23, stole the show in the series decider at Gabba, Brisbane as his brilliant knock of 89* helped India chase down 328 runs in Brisbane and hand Australia their first loss at Gabba in a Test in 32 years.
Reflecting on Pant’s knock in Sydney and Brisbane VVS Laxman said those two knocks will change him as a cricketer and added that if Pant would've batted another hour in Sydney the visitors had a chance of winning the Sydney Test match as well.
"What he has done in Sydney and following it up with a fantastic match-winning knock in Brisbane. Two defending knocks of his career will definitely change him as a cricketer. He has scored runs even before that. He scored a hundred in England, in Australia last time.
“But just the maturity he has shown, from one match where he was not able to finish it because if Rishabh had batted for another one hour, the way he was batting, India had a chance of winning the Sydney Test match," VVS Laxman told sports today.
Laxman further praised Rishabh Pant and said that Pant learned from the mistake he made in Sydney and was very choosy in Brisbane.
"But he realized what he was able to do and very few times, you get an opportunity in the next Test itself which Rishabh got in Brisbane. He learned from the mistake he made in Sydney and without curbing his natural strokeplay, he was very choosy’” he said.
Addressing Rishabh Pant’s Brisbane knock Laxman, 46, said that this knock will define Pant as a cricketer.
"The Brisbane knock will define Rishabh Pant as a cricketer, it will give him the confidence and the belief about the formula for him to perform at the highest level. So definitely, a career-defining innings for Rishabh," he concluded.
With his tally of 274 runs in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar trophy, Rishabh Pant was the highest run-scorer for India.
However, following his heroics down under Pant is likely to get the nod ahead of Wriddhiman Saha in the four-match Test series against England starting 5th February.
(Sports Today inputs)
