Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri on Friday (1st July) revealed a conversation he had with Rishabh Pant last year during the home Test series against England. He said that he told the keeper-batter that he’s bored seeing him getting out in the same fashion and he reverse swept James Anderson.
Pant rose in the ranks after his series-winning performance against Australia last year. After that, he carried his confidence and good form into the home Test series against England, where he took many by surprise with his fearless approach.
During the Ahmedabad Test, where he scored a ton, the southpaw impressed many with his unorthodox style of play. Not only did he come down charging to the spinners, but he also charged down the ground and tonked the pacers all over the park.
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One of the main highlights of that match was when the southpaw reverse scooped the Anderson for a four after the new ball was taken. Pant once again displayed the same sort of batting style in the ongoing rescheduled Test against England at Edgbaston.
After India found themselves tumbling at 95/5, Pant counter-attacked the English bowlers and took them to the cleaners to pave his way through his fifth Test century in just 89 balls, which is the fastest by the Indian wicketkeeper batter in the longest format of the game.
The keeper-batter scored 146 runs in just 111 balls and also stitched 222 runs for the sixth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (83*). His knock helped India end Day 1 on high and post a score of 338/7 on the board.
Speaking during commentary on Sky Sports, Ravi Shastri recalled his conversation with Pant during England series at home in 2021. He said that he told keeper-batter that he’s bored seeing him getting out in the same fashion so he should try something outrageous like a reverse sweep.
"Last year I was talking to Pant and I told him I am getting bored seeing you throwing it away in the same fashion every time, aren't you bored as well? So why don't you try something different, something more outrageous... like a reverse sweep maybe? And I saw his eyes light up. It's very important to back a player's ability,” Ravi Shastri said.
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Shastri highlighted how Pant took his advice and reverse swept Jack Leach and James Anderson in the Test series and one of the fastest bowlers Jofra Archer in the T20I series.
“He reverse swept Jack Leach a couple of times. In the next Test, he did that against Anderson. Took a step ahead by reverse sweeping Jofra Archer, one of their fastest bowlers in the limited-overs series,” he said.
Shastri lauded Pant for not wasting time and managing his innings well in the ongoing fifth Test against England at Edgbaston. He highlighted how the keeper-batter was measured in his approach and put the opposition under pressure.
“He doesn't waste time - what I liked today was the way he managed his innings. He wasn't prepared to take those high-risk shots early on. Even when he came down the track to Anderson it was measured. He knew exactly what he was doing and he's that kind of player. He puts the pressure back on the opposition straight away,” he said.
During the course of his innings, Pant also surpassed 2000 runs in Tests. He batted with a strike rate of 131.53 and the knock included 19 fours and 4 sixes.
(Sky Sports inputs)
