Sanjay Bangar lauds Rishabh Pant’s fearless batting, recalls Ashish Nehra’s prediction about left-hander

Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar has showered praise on Rishabh Pant’s fearless batting at the top level. Bangar said former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra predicted that Pant would rise through the ranks quickly after observing him from close quarters.

Pant was able to prove Nehra right as he delivered after making his India debut. The left-hander has impressed one and all in the red-ball version and has played some match-winning knocks in foreign conditions. Pant played an integral role in India’s win on the Australian tours in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Bangar said Pant had impressed him when he saw the batter bat in the net sessions.

“I had heard from Ashish Nehra that Rishabh is a very good player who’s going to progress very quickly. He is a naturally gifted batter. But, he’s also very fearless. I saw the first sign of his fearlessness in the nets itself. He used to tell the bowlers to bowl quickly and attack his body. Very few bowlers have had this mindset. He had just begun playing the IPL back then. So Nehra’s assessment was correct. After a long time, we’ve found a wicketkeeper who can bat in the top-5,” Sanjay Bangar was quoted as saying to Doordarshan Sports.

Pant recently scored 479 runs in four Test matches at an average of 68.43 against England and once again delivered the goods in overseas conditions. The left-hander was ruled out of the fifth Test match at the Kennington Oval after he suffered a fractured toe in the fourth match at Old Trafford, Manchester. The southpaw was expected to take part in the Delhi Premier League but was ruled out due to injury.

Pant is known to turn a match on its head with his aggressive batting and he would look to hit the ground running after making his comeback.