In the last six months, Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant has produced several memorable knocks in red-ball cricket which have earned him praise from several cricket pundits. There has been a huge change in Pant’s game since the last IPL – as he has looked to take the attack to the opposition, especially in the longer format. Ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen has said that the team is wary of Pant – who is an extremely dangerous batsman.
Jurgensen lauded Pant’s ability to turn the match on its head but also added that his style of play will also give opportunities to the Kiwi bowlers.
“Well, Pant is an extremely dangerous player who can change the game on its head. We saw how well he did it against Australia and England. He’s extremely positive-minded, but with that comes potentially the opportunity to take his wicket,” Jurgensen told The Telegraph.
Pant was one of the stars for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, he helped India register a come-from-behind victory against Tim Paine-led Australia.
Jurgensen, who has done well with the current crop of New Zealand bowlers, added that his bowlers need to execute their plans well and try and make it difficult for Pant to score runs.
“Our bowlers need to execute well, stay calm and make it as difficult as possible for Pant to score runs. He’s certainly a free-flowing batsman and a tough one to stop, which we should keep in mind,” he added.
India have a strong pace attack at their disposal for the much-awaited WTC final. Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav are experienced campaigners in the squad while India has also a strong young pace attack in Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur.
