Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt came down hard on Rishabh Pant’s batting technique and patience after his twin failures in the Headingley Test which India lost by an innings and 76 runs against England on Saturday.
Pant has played all three Tests of the series so far and managed scores of 25, 37, 22, 2 and 1. He is the fourth-highest run-getter in Test cricket this year but has struggled in the last three games under the swinging English conditions.
Pant is still averaging over 43 in the format in 2021 despite his repeated failures in England on the current tour.
“Rishabh Pant doesn’t have the technique to succeed in English conditions. He cannot just walk down the track to bowlers. He can survive for a while like this or may play one or two good knocks.
“But, Rishabh Pant cannot become a successful Test batsman playing this way. He needs to develop some patience and also work on his defensive technique,” Butt said.
The former left-handed Pakistani batsman urged Pant to improve his defensive technique against the Dukes ball, which moves in the air and off the seam on a regular basis in England.
“Pant has a lot of shots but his defensive mechanism is not strong enough for Test cricket, especially in such conditions.
“In India, he can taste success, and Australia as well, because the ball doesn’t swing a lot.
“But wherever the ball swings or seams, Rishabh Pant will find it very difficult to tackle the challenges with the kind of technique he currently possesses,” he added.
India went 1-0 up after a stunning win at Lord’s in the 2nd Test but they have been brought down to earth after the innings defeat inside 4 days in the 3rd Test in Leeds.
With their backs against the wall, the visitors will be looking to script a comeback when the two sides meet in the 4th Test at Oval in London from Thursday, September 2.
