India vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday (March 13) heaped praise on Rishabh Pant, saying the wicketkeeper batter backs his naturally aggressive style of batting and that is a positive sign for the Indian team.
During the second day’s play in the ongoing pink-ball Test against Sri Lanka, Pant became the fastest Indian batter to smash a Test half-century as he reached the landmark in 28 balls, surpassing Kapil Dev's 30-ball record.
"Not each and everyone (can) play in the same manner. Every individual has a different game-plan, so he has backed his strengths," Bumrah said after day's play.
"Not every player in the team will play with the same tempo, we understand that. He is still getting more and more experience and learning about this game. That is his plan (attacking) going forward so that's a positive sign for us," he added.
Riding on Bumrah’s maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket at home, India bundled out Sri Lanka for a paltry 109 to take a massive first-innings lead of 143 runs.
"It feels good. When you play all three formats you have to look after your body and you sometimes miss out on the home Tests. But it's always good, this is the time when I got the opportunity and to be able to contribute towards the team's success is always a great feeling," he said.
The Chinnaswamy track has been grabbed the headlines for its turn and bounce from the very first day. The hosts declared their second innings on 303/9, extending their overall lead to 446 runs in the second Test.
The visitors were 28/1 at the close of play on Day 2, with skipper Dimuth Karunaratne (10*) and Kusal Mendis (16*) unbeaten in the middle.
When asked about the track, Bumrah said "no one is complaining", before adding that scoring runs on a pitch like this gives way more satisfaction.
"You always play in different conditions, not every wicket will be same. If there is some help for the bowlers, when you score runs on such a wicket gives you a lot of confidence," he said.
"You will not get flat wickets everywhere you play, so whenever it's a challenge, you are always looking forward to that challenge.
"Nobody is complaining about the wicket, yes everybody is finding a way and looking forward to contribute because they know if they score good runs on a tough wicket then that will give them a lot of confidence and when they play on a relatively flat wicket that will give them strength. So that is the mood in our camp," Bumrah further remarked.
(With PTI inputs)
