"I am getting bored; try something outrageous!" - Ravi Shastri reveals how his pep talk encouraged Rishabh Pant to reverse sweep James Anderson
Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant played arguably the best knock of his Test career against England on Friday (July 1). The 24-year-old scored a sensational 146 runs off just 111 balls and has put his team in a great position in the Birmingham Test.
One of the highlights of the innings was Pant's reverse sweep off England veteran James Anderson. The sheer audacity to do that against one of the finest fast bowlers ever in his own backyard says a lot about Rishabh Pant's mindset and confidence.
Rishabh Pant pulls out the reverse lap. Again. Against James Anderson!
And the next ball he goes for a sweep slog!
Audacity! 😯😯
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, who was on commentary duty for the Test, revisited his short chat with Rishabh Pant. Shastri revealed how it helped the young wicketkeeper back himself to play unorthodox shots even in Test cricket. He recalled:
"Last year, I was talking to Pant and I told him I am getting bored seeing you throwing it away in the same fashion every time, aren't you bored as well? So why don't you try something different, something more outrageous... like a reverse sweep maybe? And I saw his eyes light up. It's very important to back a player's ability."
Shastri also spoke about how the reverse sweep became Pant's staple shot after that talk. He added:
"He reverse swept Jack Leach a couple of times. In the next Test, he did that against Anderson. Took a step ahead by reverse sweeping Jofra Archer, one of their fastest bowlers in the limited-overs series."
Why does Rishabh Pant always look to reverse sweep Jimmy Anderson? Strange 😆
#RishabhPant #JamesAnderson #INDvsENG https://t.co/EtvUaEBAce
"He knew exactly what he was doing" - Ravi Shastri on Rishabh Pant
Shastri was impressed with how Rishabh Pant paced his innings right from the first ball against England. Although he has all the big shots in the book, Pant tried to read the situation first and get his eye in.
Once he was set, he took on the opposition bowlers and scored by largely timing the ball to perfection with a few outrageous shots every now and then. Speaking about this, Shastri stated:
"He doesn't waste time - what I liked today was the way he managed his innings. He wasn't prepared to take those high-risk shots early on. Even when he came down the track to Anderson it was measured. He knew exactly what he was doing and he's that kind of player. He puts the pressure back on the opposition straight away."
This was Pant's fifth Test hundred and one he will be extremely pleased with as it helped India post 338/7 on Day 1 in Birmingham.