He scored 146 off 111 in India's last Test against England.
According to former India cricketer Hemang Badani, head coach Gautam Gambhir should give freedom to Rishabh Pant so that he can play his natural game in the upcoming five-match England Test series, starting from June 20.
The BCCI appointed Shubman Gill as the full-time Test skipper while Pant was made the vice captain. After the retirement of the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, the Indian team is set to witness a new transition. Pant is one such player who can win matches single-handedly. However, Pant was seen struggling with his form in the last Test series against Australia. He also failed to make an impact in the recently passed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 while playing for Lucknow Super Giants. Despite the struggles, Pant still has a spark when he bats in the red ball format.
Speaking about Pant’s potential as a batter, Badani has backed the youngster. He feels that Pant’s responsibilities and expectations should be reduced.
“I think he is somebody who has found the right balance of attacking stroke-making and defensive stroke-making in this cricket. So I don’t see any reason why you should try and change that. It’s important that someone like Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, has a chat with him and speaks to him and says, ‘Rishabh tu apna game khel.’ Don’t think too hard about captaincy, vice captaincy, you’re the second in command, none of that”, Badani told Hindustan Times in an exclusive chat.
Talking about the batting line-up, the newly made vice-captain of the Indian Test team is likely to bat at No.5. Coming to bat at this order, the Delhi-based batter can provide stability and can also speed up the run rate if required.
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As of now, Pant has amassed 1,681 runs in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries at an average of 37.81. He also has centuries under his belt, except in New Zealand. Over the years, Pant has played a few great knocks in the longest format of the game, which shows his potential.
Seven years ago, when Pant made his Test debut in Nottingham, the left-hand batter started with a massive six. The last time India played a Test match against England, Pant came all guns blazing. He scored 146 off 111 balls in the first innings.
England and India will kick off their World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle on June 20 in Leeds.
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