Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has come up with crucial advice for Rishabh Pant on the eve of the fourth Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, stating that the wicket-keeper-batter has to respect the conditions first and then play his natural game.
Rishabh Pant's three Test performances have been unimpressive as the southpaw scored just 96 runs in five innings with an average of 19.20 and a top score of 37.
"What Rishabh Pant has to do, like everybody else, is respect the first half an hour; respect a little bit when he gets in there, whatever the position—unless, of course, India is 525 for 3; then he can tee off," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Gavaskar said that Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Scott Boland have troubled Pant because they bowl in areas where he is not comfortable with his technique. "They get the ball to angle across. Pat Cummins and even Hazlewood give him a little bit of a problem; Scott Boland will give him a little bit of a problem because Boland bowls around that area as well," he added.
Pant's legacy in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is already cemented with his heroics at The Gabba in the 2020-21 series, where his unbeaten 89 took India to a historic win. But for the dynamic left-hander, the 2024-25 series has been a different story altogether.
However, the former Aussie opener Mathew Hayden feels that Pant should take his style of fearless playing because that is going to bring a great opportunity to him and the Team India.
"I have always been a fan of his. He's kind of a different cheese; there is no doubt about it. And I would like to just see him explore that as well because he should be coming in a situation where, as I mentioned before, there are lots of runs; and if so, that's a perfect scenario for him to be in, but it's also the perfect scenario for Team India.
"A little bit like Rohit Sharma, I think we haven't seen some counter-punching efforts from Rishabh, but he should have no fear in these conditions. I think in the absence of fear comes a great opportunity for Rishabh and Team India," said Hayden.
The fourth Test, starting on Thursday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, is important for both teams as they seek to edge ahead in the closely fought five-match series that has been levelled at 1-1 so far.
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