Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has revealed that the team management has told wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant to be more sensible in his shot selection.
Pant scored a whirlwind knock of 91 runs in the first innings of the ongoing Test match against England on Sunday.
However, Pant was dismissed after he tried to play a big shot against Dom Bess but he couldn’t get his timing right. Pant batted aggressively as he usually does and took only 89 balls to score 91 runs. But India still had to score a lot of runs to avoid the follow-on when Pant tried to go for the attacking shot.
Pujara revealed that Pant has been advised to play according to the match situation and not play any unnecessary attacking shots if the situation doesn’t demand.
“I can’t be specific about the shots, but there is clear communication from the team management that there are some shots he needs to avoid. There are times when he also needs to understand the team situation. The coaching staff always tells him that he has to put the team first and be a little sensible. He has done that most of the time. There are times when he gets out and it looks ugly. But he will learn from his mistakes. He has a bright future. There are occasions when he can be a little more patient and build another partnership with whoever is there at the crease. I am sure he will realise that,” said Cheteshwar Pujara in the post-match press conference.
There is no doubt that Pant is a special talent and he can take the game away from the opposition with his blistering batting. Pant will need to add more maturity to his game and he will get better with more experience.
Always playing the natural game is not the best way to go about one’s batting and Rishabh Pant should play according to the match situation.
Pant has the skills to turn the match on its head and he can be a deadly batsman if he maintains the right balance between aggression and defense.
Pant added a fine alliance of 119 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara as he did the bulk of the scoring. The left-hander is expected to get better with experience and he will look to continue the good show.
