India vs England 2021: “He understands the game really well now” – Rohit Sharma says Rishabh Pant is ‘more than ready to fill MS Dhoni’s shoes’


India vs England 2021: “He understands the game really well now” – Rohit Sharma says Rishabh Pant is ‘more than ready to fill MS Dhoni’s shoes’
Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant grabbed the headlines on day 2 of the fourth test between India and England in Ahmedabad with a stunning century. The hosts found themselves in a difficult situation after the loss of the well-set Rohit Sharma and a total of 6 wickets for just 146 runs in response to England’s 205 but Pant and Washington Sundar played cautiously before cutting loose and taking India to a healthy lead that is set to extend tomorrow.

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Pant was in his trademark fearless element after he got to his fifty as he raced away to his hundred. He was especially harsh on the pacers after the new ball was taken as he came up with one audacious shot after another to dismantle the bowlers’ plans. A reverse-sweep off James Anderson was the shot of the day and pretty much summed up Pant’s confidence. He eventually got out to Anderson himself but it was well and truly a terrific knock.

Rohit Sharma speaks on Rishabh Pant

Rohit Sharma addressed reporters at a virtual press conference after the second day’s play and was asked as to whether Rishabh Pant is ready to fill the void left by former captain MS Dhoni‘s retirement. Rohit said, “He seems to be doing a job for us, so he’s more than ready I guess. Pant has his own style of batting. Of course, there have been messages from the team management on how he needs to approach the game but you know he seems to be batting in his own style which seems to be fine.”

“He is getting the job done and that’s more important for us and you saw in this innings as well. The first half of his innings he was quite respectful and then once we got to 200 he just wanted to take on the bowlers. You need those kinds of players in your team who are not afraid to take on the bowlers and who are ready to grab the chances with both hands. You should have a mix of players in your squad,” Rohit added.

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Speaking off Pant’s unconventional shot-making, Rohit said, “Pant is courageous enough to take chances. There will be times when he will play shots and get out but I don’t want anyone to get upset. As he is the kind of player who will play like that and get the job done for the team. Like today we were on backfoot and suddenly within a span of one hour we were in the drivers’ seat.”

‘Rishabh Pant’s finest knock’ – Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma

Elaborating further on the importance of Pant’s knock, Rohit said, “In my opinion, it was probably his (Pant) finest knock. It came under pressure as well, we were not in a good position when he came out to bat. We saw few sides of Rishabh Pant’s knock today. He was cautious at the beginning and then he actually flourished like we know Rishabh can. He put the team into a good position. He understands his game really well now. When we came inside during the tea break, the message to both Rishabh and Washington Sundar was that we need to get to England’s score and then try to press from there.”

Speaking about the pitch for the test, Rohit said, “The pitch was fine, good to bat on. There was some help for the seamers and the spinners. We know that early on there is a lot of moisture on the pitch, we need to get through that 40-45 minutes in the beginning. We did that pretty well, actually, unfortunately, we lost Pujara at that time. We played that spell of Anderson and Stokes pretty well. They bowled in good areas, got some wickets as well.”

Rohit finally spoke about Washington Sundar’s knock and its importance. “You need to give credit to Washington as well for the way he batted, he showed a lot of respect and he was tight on his technique and he put away the loose balls when they were on offer. We were on the backfoot when we lost wickets but the partnership between Washington and Rishabh was so important from the team’s perspective. They put us in the driver’s seat, our lead is 90-odd which is fantastic and I just hope Axar and Washington can carry the same intent tomorrow as well,” he signed off.

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Also Read: India vs England: WATCH – Virat Kohli celebrates Rishabh Pant’s hundred by rushing off his seat to the balcony