Dhruv Jurel took on the keeping duties from Rishabh Pant at Lord's
Former England captain and broadcaster Michael Atherton was mighty impressed by Rishabh Pant’s unconventional batting style and his audacious shots in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy but he was also amused by Pant’s losing balance while playing those shots. “I’ve not seen a player fall inside the crease as many times as Rishabh Pant has,” he remarked on air.
During the second Test against England at Edgbaston he even lost his bat a couple of times while trying to swing on the leg-side, one which cost his wickets.
The unorthodox nature of his batting has impressed former Indian wicket-keeper Farokh Engineer who joked that batters of his generation would’ve lost some of their teeth trying those shots as there was no helmet grill protecting their faces.
Engineer, who played 46 Tests for India between 1962-75, felt that Pant should try the shots in the Indian Premier League (IPL) rather than in Test cricket. Going into the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Pant is also carrying a finger injury which he suffered during the third Test at Lord’s which had prevented him from keeping wickets in that match.
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Engineer felt that Pant’s form warrants him to be in the playing XI where he can play purely as a batter while Dhruv Jurel can continue keeping wickets.
“For the runs he’s scored, yes, he can play as a pure batter. But Rishabh is unpredictable. Whatever comes to his mind, he does it. I joked with him about his shot selection, and he just laughed—said he does what feels right in the moment,” the 87-year-old told Revsportz in an interview.
“He has the confidence and has gotten away with it often. But he needs to be more responsible in crucial moments, like right before lunch or at the end of a day’s play,” Engineer added.
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Even Pant’s bold approach has worked wonders in Test cricket, his shots didn’t come off in white-ball cricket which Engineer felt is the place to try those shots.
“Save those for IPL. Test cricket demands discipline. From a number three or four, you expect them to play proper cricket, get big scores, and build innings. Rishabh has scored centuries in both innings of a Test, which is remarkable. So yes, he could play purely as a batsman, especially with England’s strong bowling lineup, now including Jofra Archer and Atkinson,” Engineer said.
India are trailing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy by 1-2 after losing the third Test by 22 runs. The fourth Test in Manchester begins on July 23.
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