Team India wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant who was in sublime batting form in Australia as well as in the home series against England, was dismissed cheaply in the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC 2021) against New Zealand.

All the fans were disappointed after seeing the explosive batsman returning with just 4 runs to his name, and former India batsman VVS Laxman explained that even though the southpaw didn’t show patience and discipline, the youngster will learn as he goes forward in his career.

“We were aware of the challenge that Rishabh Pant is going to face. He is a naturally aggressive batsman. On this kind of surface, you have to mix caution with aggression. You have to know what are areas you can target the bowlers. You have to show patience and discipline,” Laxman said.

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“But this is something you expect from Rishabh Pant. This is something I am sure, he will learn. When he was walking back after getting out, he was disappointed with himself. He was talking to himself, showing through action, that he had to leave that delivery,” he added.

According to Laxman, Pant was able to make a statement with his performances in the recent Test series against Australia had the perfect opportunity to do it again.

“I think this was the ideal situation for Rishabh Pant to stamp his authority like the way he did in Australia. Because these are different conditions than the conditions in Australia. You have to respect the good ball, especially when you know the bowler is on top of you by swinging the ball and getting the lateral movement of the wicket,” the 46-year-old signed off.

(With Hindustan Times Inputs)