India vs England: Rishabh Pant dictates play at his own pace – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Birmingham: A day before the match, Indian fans that had gathered outside the Edgbaston ground pleaded with Rishabh Pant for an autograph or a ‘selfie’. Pant’s reply was a polite, ‘please dosto thoda toh time do yaar’ (friends, please give me some time).  Pant did not want to be rushed. He wanted to do things at his own pace and routine.

On Friday with the score reading 98/5 many anticipated Pant to come out blazing. Most anticipated a counterattack from the outset. But Pant wanted to dictate the tempo of the game on his own terms. He did not want to be rushed simply because of expectation. In the first 27 balls, he only hit two boundaries. During the initial phase of this innings Pant preferred to trust his own defence. It is a trait of his game that many fail to praise.

Such is Pant’s unorthodoxy at times the orthodox part is almost forgotten. “From childhood, my coach Tarikh Sinha has been telling me you can hit the ball well, but you have to work on your defence. I have worked on that side of that game. It is a good sign when the bowler bowls a good ball and you can keep it out with good defence.” Pant told reporters after his blistering knock of 146 from 111 balls.

The foundations of Pant’s game are so strong that it allows him to combine his brute power along with a series of deft touches. So despite only stroking two boundaries in the first 27 balls, Pant still managed to score 22 of 28 balls. This was Pant trusting his own game and importantly playing to the situation.

In between there was the odd shuffle towards the pitch to smack the ball down the ground. But this is all calculated and not a rush of blood. As Pant stated repeatedly at the end of the day’s play, “I have to put the pressure back on to the bowler.”

The fascinating part about Pant is that he rarely spends a lot of time in the nets sharpening his attacking game. Most of the focus is about getting the basics of the batting. In Birmingham, he had only batted for 15 minutes in the nets and a majority of that time was against a throwdown specialist. The aspect that he wanted to perfect is where the ball meets the bat while defending. Observe him from side and point of interception is right under his eyes. Rarely do his hands get in front of his body. The bat is cushioned comfortably in his hands and it allows him to manipulate the ball with deft touches.

No wonder then that Rahul Dravid backed him to bat at No 5 in this Test match. Pant understands there is a sense of responsibility on his young shoulders. Perhaps it is this responsibility that he relishes the most.

With each innings Pant has learned how to manipulate the field without having to bludgeon the ball. On the opening day, England had kept the cover point vacant hoping an attempt to push the ball in the gap could result in Pant edging to the cordon. But Pant’s loose bottom hand ensured he could tap the ball into vacant zone and ease singles. It rotated the strike and kept the scorecard ticking along.

When England introduced Jack Leach into the attack, Pant opened his shoulders and whacked him around the paddock. By the time the day ended, Pant had taken 59 runs off Leach from 32 balls. It was Pant knowing which bowlers to attack and at what moment. The minute Ben Stokes pushed the field back, he preferred to rotate the strike.  Commentating on Sky Sports Michael Atherton said, “If you set the field, he will push it around for single, he is not dumb, he is a smart cricketer.”

At the start of the day’s play when all the players got into a huddle, it was Pant that was first to speak. Behind the scenes there is enormous trust in Pant by the coaching staff led by Rahul Dravid. There is a reason why he has been appointed the vice-captain. Pant thrives in tough situations. Each of his centuries have come at a time when India have desperately needed Pant to deliver.

At Edgbaston, Pant has resurrected India again. There will be times when he will play the odd rash shot that leads to him being crucified. But as Pant advised the fans the day before the match, “time do yaar [give him time]”.

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