Team India will be geared up to take on England in the upcoming five-match Test series starting on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds. The Indian squad captained by Shubman Gill will want to start their new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle on a high note by clinching a win.
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s retirement, all eyes will be set upon Gill and vice-captain Rishabh Pant. Pant has been brilliant in the Test format, and the team will be banking on him in the upcoming tour. However, there has been criticism about Pant’s batting style and shot selections.
Ahead of the Test series, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has backed Pant and gave his opinion that there is no need for Pant to change anything against England.
Aakash Chopra on Pant’s batting
“There should not be any change. How will you succeed if you leave the thing that got you success? His playing style has always been unorthodox. Everyone sees the game differently. When Rishabh sees the game differently, he reacts like that,” Chopra expressed while speaking to Star Sports.
He further compared Pant’s style to Australia’s Steve Smith, “He does not see the game like Steve Smith. He sees how he can upset the bowler, and that he can control the game very well if he hits a six. He starts like that. Of course, if balls like the snorters are bowled, he will be more careful. You can respect the short balls a little,” he further added.
Aakash Chopra about Rishabh Pant’s upcoming performance in England
Aakash Chopra spoke about how Rishabh Pant can only get dismissed by playing shots and not while dagainst England. He also suggested that the star batter should be scrutinized for his lack of runs, not for the way he loses his wicket.
“Rishabh Pant will get out while playing shots only. You will rarely see him getting out while defending. You cannot question his execution as well. Criticism should be based on whether he scores runs or not. You have the right to criticize him if he doesn’t score runs,” he said.
Rishabh Pant in Tests
Rishabh Pant has played 75 Test innings so far and has amassed 2948 runs.
Total innings played in Tests: 75
Rishabh Pant vs England
Rishabh Pant has played 12 matches against England. In the 21 innings played, he has accumulated 781 runs. Pant has smashed four fifties and three centuries. He has registered the highest score of 146.
India Full Squad
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
