Gavaskar terms Rishabh Pant an 'exhilarating player,' explains how he can be more consistent
Former opener Sunil Gavaskar has lauded Rishabh Pant for his fearless approach against Jack Leach in the first Test against England in Chennai. terming the Indian star as an 'exhilarating player'.
However, Gavaskar also opined that Pant needs to find the right balance between being carefree and careless to add more consistency to his game.
Rishabh Pant came in at the crease when India had lost two wickets in quick succession, with Virat Kohli (11) and Ajinkya Rahane (1) departing cheaply.
The 23-year-old played a brilliant counterattacking innings of 91 off 88 balls before losing his wicket to Dom Bess. Applauding Pant's effort, Gavaskar said on Star Sports:
"He (Pant) has always been an exhilarating player. He can be annoying in the sense we all want to see him carry on and bat because he gives so much enjoyment with the way he plays. What happens with Rishabh Pant is there is always that very thin line between being carefree and careless. Once he realises what is that little line between being carefree and careless, he will be a lot more consistent."
Gavaskar also talked about how Pant didn't allow Jack Leach to settle.
"It was fantastic to watch him take on Jack Leach because he didn't want to settle down. It's a partnership; he recognises he can be dangerous to the right-hander. He is trying to throw him off by affecting his confidence." added Gavaskar.
India are not yet out of danger as they still need 135 more runs to avoid the follow on after England put up 578 runs in the first innings.
With the pitch showing some uneven bounce, it will be an uphill task for the Men in Blue to save the Test from here.
Rishabh Pant continues his rich vein of form
Rishabh Pant has carried his form from India's recent tour of Australia, scoring 97, 89* and now 91 in three consecutive Tests.
The wicketkeeper-batsman finished as India's top run-getter in the Australia series even though he played only three of the four Tests.
However, there were again question marks over his wicket-keeping skills as he allowed a few chances to get away when India were in the field for 190.1 overs in Chennai. But the hosts are likely to back him in this Test series given his exploits with the bat.