Rishabh Pant once again proved his mettle with the bat as he slammed 91 off 88 balls in India’s first innings in the ongoing Chennai Test against England.
Even though the hosts were reeling on 73/4 at one stage, Pant didn’t curb his natural game. The southpaw shared a 119-run stand with Cheteshwar Pujara to bail the team out of trouble.
However, Pant threw his wicket away with a poor shot off Dom Bess as India finished the third day on 257/6.
Addressing the media after stumps on Day 3, Pujara said he doesn't want Pant to restrain his attacking instincts but would like the swashbuckler to be more "sensible" with his shot selection.
"It is his (Pant) natural game so we cannot restrict him much. He can't be too defensive because by doing so he can get out quickly. It is good for his game that he keeps on playing his shots but, at times, he has to be very selective," Pujara said during the virtual press conference.
"He needs to understand which shots to play, which not. He needs to understand in which situation it is important that he stays in the crease. Balancing things out is the most important for him," he added.
Pujara expects a talent like Pant to learn from his mistakes.
"He will learn from his mistakes. There are times when he can be little more patient and build another partnership with whoever is there in the crease. He is capable of putting the team first because whenever he bats longer, then we will always end up posting a big total. So, I am sure he will realise that."
The senior batsman feels that if Pant stays "sensible" and follows the advice of the coaching staff, he can avoid such ugly dismissals.
"... And then there are times when he also has to understand and the coaching staff always communicates with him that. He has to put the team first and be little sensible at times. He has done that most of the times. There are times when gets out and looks ugly."
According to Pujara, the pitch is still pretty good to bat on and he believes Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin can take the game deep in terms of first innings score.
England piled up a massive 578 in their first essay thanks to skipper Joe Root’s marathon 218.
"There is a bit of spin now but I think it's still a good pitch to bat on. First two days, it was really, really flat and our bowlers did a fantastic job. It was a pitch where there was not much assistance and we were expecting a little bit more from the surface. But we have to accept and move on," he said.
"Ash and Washington are both batting well, so we will just have to move on from here. Tomorrow, it will be the most crucial day for us," Pujara concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
