Rishabh Pant has been praised by Zaheer Khan for his ability to score a century at a quick rate. On Day 1 at Edgbaston, Birmingham, the wicket-keeper batsman scored the fifth century of his career to save India from a precarious scenario. This helped India come back from a deficit they were in.
Pant maintained an aggressive approach even though India had lost five wickets by the middle of the day. His strategy was successful, as it resulted in the bowlers for England being placed under strain by the steady flow of runs scored by India.
Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, who was batting at the opposite end, displayed a record-setting partnership. The two combined for 222 runs while batting together for the sixth wicket, which contributed to India’s substantial total at the close of the day’s play.
What did Zaheer Khan say about Rishabh Pant?
The comment made by the former India bowler on Cricbuzz exemplifies the significance of Rishabh Pant’s contributions to the Indian Test team to this point:
“When you look at Pant’s career up to this point, he has already played so many innings that have had an effect. If you look at his centuries, you’ll see that each one of them went on to affect the way the game went from there. Even if he still has a ways to go, the fact that he can score hundreds at this rate regularly is a really encouraging sign.”
The player that participated in the U-19 World Cup has never been one to shy away from playing his natural style, and now he also has the support of the team.
Zaheer praised Pant for how he can manage expectations while still having trust in his own abilities, saying:
“Rishabh Pant’s batting has never been without a certain something, and it always has been. Even during his time playing for the U-19 team, he was well-known for this. It was already known for him to have a reputation like that. After that, you are required to continually demonstrate your competence at this level.”
Zaheer added:
“There have been some highs and lows thus far, and there might be some in the future as well, but how he manages the expectations gives him certainty about his potential.”
Pant fell victim to Joe Root just as he was about to set a record for the quickest 150 runs scored against England.
