Rishabh Pant, who is undoubtedly one of the best players in the country and a favorite among the fans, has not yet come to the point in his career that at the age of 28 he would have wished for. Since his debut for India in 2018, Pant has been able to deliver some fantastic match-winning actors, especially in the Tests, but still, he has not been able to be the consistent player the team is expecting from him. Right now, Pant is only a part of the active Indian team in Tests, with limited chances in ODIs and T20s.
While Pant is trying to cope with this phase of his career, Amit Mishra, the former indian spinner has asked him to “adjust his game” or risk being dropped from the team.
“I have very high expectations from Rishabh Pant. He is a kind of player who will have to modify his game and come to the expectations. You can’t really refer to him as a kid anymore-he is in the team since 2018, that’s what I am saying: after a certain point in time it becomes extremely important to change your game,” Mishra stated during a conversation on the Men XP Podcast.
“The opposing teams are closely watching you. They are studying you, comprehending your game, and devising tactics against it-where you are strong against fast bowling, which balls you do not counterattack, they are keeping an eye on everything. So, you need to be aware of that as well. You cannot always be saying, ‘I got out the same way once again right here.’ That is something you should never do,” Mishra further insisted.
Pant has too often been called on to do it himself with the most absurd shots. On multiple occasions, he was actually getting out trying to play a similar shot without learning from his earlier mistakes. That is why Mishra has been warning Pant of the necessity of the change in his approach, and batting style is very much needed at this juncture of his career.
A batsman must always consider the playing conditions before taking up the option of playing a particular shot. It is never the case that a style of play is to be limiting for the player. Once in a while, a batsman may try to impose his style on the wicket and he will probably succeed for a while, but eventually, he will be dismissed. The not very far-off end of the basket will be where he is not taking sensibly to the different playing conditions and is therefore, out of the tournament. Not every pitch is going to be as accommodating as to allow boundaries of every kind to be made. At some places, the pitches will be such that the ball will spin; and at some others bounce or swing. It all boils down to how a player copes with that situation,” he pointed out.
