Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has said that Rishabh Pant’s attacking approach in India’s second innings in the WTC 2021 final had a lot to do with his self-belief against the swinging ball.
However, he also said that his aggressive batting approach was odd given the situation and wondered if the team management had told him that his methods were not aligned with what the team wanted.
Rishabh Pant invited criticism for his failure in the WTC final against New Zealand. The wicketkeeper-batsman was dismissed for 4 and 41 in his two innings in Southampton.
During the second innings, the Virat Kohli-led side displayed a poor batting performance on the reserve day of the final and was bundled out for just 170 in their second innings.
WTC 2021 Final: Irfan Pathan says Rishabh Pant should've batted responsibly in second innings
Rishabh Pant gave Indian fans some hope by scoring 41 off 88 balls with four boundaries but the southpaw gave his wicket by dancing down the wicket to Trent Boult, skying the ball and was caught by Henry Nicholls.
His wild hoick against Trent Boult saw him getting criticized and his approach was questioned by my fans and pundits as they felt that the batsman should have batted with a little bit of caution.
However, cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra feels that Rishabh Pant’s approach on the final day of the WTC final was a reflection of his belief in his skills against swinging ball as everyone have seen him doing all sorts of unbelievable things.
"Pant's approach on the final day was either a reflection of his belief (or lack of it) in his skills against the swinging ball, or perhaps he was trapped in the cage of his own reputation. We have seen him do all sorts of unbelievable things with the bat. Who would dream of reverse-scooping James Anderson in Tests or Jofra Archer in white-ball cricket?" Aakash Chopra wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
Chopra pointed out that Rishabh Pant prefers playing from or going inside the crease. He remarked that the wicketkeeper’s attempts to step out and hit the seamers was a bit 'odd.'
"Still, we had never seen Pant dance down the track to fast bowlers, even in white-ball cricket. He prefers playing from the crease or going further inside the crease. So his stepping out felt a little odd. Was he not told at lunch that his methods weren't aligned with what the team wanted? Or was the plan indeed to stay aggressive, which meant the batters needed to find their ways to accumulate runs in trying conditions?" he said.
Former Indian batsman stated that India might have started the final day with the thought of forcing a result but early wickets put them under pressure. He added that Rishabh Pant was fortunate enough to remain unbeaten at the lunch.
“They might have started the final day with the thought of forcing a result, but the twin wickets of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara put them on the back foot in the first hour. Ajinkya Rahane never looked settled and Rishabh Pant kept taking his chances; he was fortunate to be unbeaten at lunch," he said.
Chopra pointed out that Rishabh Pant has allowed India to hope and believe ever since he made his debut for the national side in Test cricket, reminding everyone that the same methods have brought him success in Australia and also in the home series against England.
He added that the southpaw has allowed Virat Kohli-led side to field five bowlers without worrying too much about batting depth.
"Pant has allowed India to hope and believe ever since he made it back into the Test side. The innings in Sydney was full of bravado. The one that followed, at the Gabba will go down in history as one of the finest by an Indian batter in the fourth innings of a Test match. Pant's century against England was about controlled aggression - an innings of a man coming of age in Test cricket.
"He had started leaving a lot of deliveries alone, stopped playing against the spin or swing, and showed how much damage-controlled aggression can do. He was not only India's version of an Adam Gilchrist-like keeper-batter but also allowed India to field five bowlers without worrying too much about their batting depth,” he concluded.
Rishabh Pant will next be seen in action when Virat Kohli-led side will take on hosts England in the five-match Test series starting, 4th August at Trent Bridge.
(ESPNCricinfo Inputs)
