Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has stated that Rishabh Pant was batting like a millionaire in the second innings of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand at Ageas Bowl, Southampton. Pant is known to bat aggressively, which is his natural game but he took it to next level in the all-important final.
Pant has shown in the past that he has good technique and also good defense. However, Pant was seen dancing down the track against the New Zealand bowlers and he was swinging too hard. The southpaw was finally dismissed while trying to go for a big heave towards the leg-side but ended up ballooning the ball to point region where Henry Nicholls took a fantastic catch.
Pant top-scored with 41 runs for the Indian team in the second dig but he could have shown more maturity in his shot selection against the New Zealand fast bowlers. Furthermore, Pant was dismissed while playing away from the body in the first essay.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel, “Rishabh Pant was batting like a millionaire. There was a question there, is it just my way or the highway or is this just the way Rishabh Pant bats. Or was Rishabh Pant trapped in his own reputation that Pant bats like that?”
“We have seen him bat extremely well, and seen him excel. We remember the Sydney Test match where he hit a century earlier and now the 97 he made. We remember the Gabba Test where he made 89 not out. We talk about the two centuries against England, one at the Oval and the other in India. We have seen match-winning knocks from him but not seen him bat like this there,” he added.
Chopra also commented on Pant’s shot selection as the renowned commentator added that the left-hander doesn’t even play shots like these even in the IPL.
Commenting on Pant’s shot selection, Chopra said, “To step out and hit the fast bowler, he doesn’t even do this in the IPL. In IPL history, he has actually done it only once. He stepped out to Shivam Mavi and hit him for a six. He does give the bowlers a beating but in a different fashion. On this day, he was jumping out and swinging his bat.”
