Birmingham
His stunning 146 was the cornerstone of India’s remarkable recovery on the opening day of the rescheduled fifth Test against England and flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant said the secret of his heroics was to disturb the bowlers mentally.
Coming out to bat when India were at a precarious 98 for 5, Pant played a knock for the ages to turn the tables on England and take India to an imposing 338 for 7 at stumps on Friday. His magnificent 111-ball innings had 19 boundaries and four sixes.
In English conditions if a bowler pitches it up, it’s important to disturb his rhythm, that’s what I feel, the 24-year-old Pant said during the media interaction after the end of day one’s play.
Be it England pace spearhead James Anderson, who rocked India early on with his 3/52, or skipper Ben Stokes who offered a barrage of short-pitched stuff, Pant looked ridiculously at ease during his blitzkrieg.
I don’t try to play unidimensional, rather I try out various shots — sometimes I step out, or play on the backfoot. I keep on using the crease well. It’s about disturbing the bowler mentally and things happen. It’s not pre-planned. I just focus on what the bowler is trying to do. Pant said it’s about showing respect to good deliveries and he has paid equal attention to his defensive aspect of is game.
Yes, I’ve worked a lot on my defence. My coach, Tarak Sinha Sir had told me long back that you can attack any bowler but at the same time he has always stressed to focus on playing defensively. You can’t be defensive or attacking with each ball. I try to focus on each ball and play according to its merit. It’s a good sign to show respect to a good ball. I’m not focusing much on the defence rather I’m focused on my game.
