As India gears up for the five-Test series against England, vice-captain Rishabh Pant has opened up about the changes he’s made to his batting. According to him, most of the adjustment is happening in his mind, though there are also a few tweaks in technique.
India’s Middle Order Under New Light with Pant at Number Five
Pant is set to bat at number five, a role that now carries more weight following the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. With these two veterans no longer in the lineup, Pant’s position becomes even more crucial.
In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier, he came under fire for taking risky shots at key moments. This time, he knows the stakes are higher and he’ll have to stay more disciplined.
“I think mostly it’s (changes) mental, a little bit of technical too. It is like in one-day and T20s you have to open up your stance because of the kind of shots you want to play,” Pant shared while speaking to the media ahead of the Headingley Test.
Rishabh Pant Adjusts Technique for English Conditions
Pant has performed fairly well in England before. In nine Test matches there, he has scored 556 runs, with two hundreds and two fifties to his name.
He explained that while aggressive play has its place in limited-overs cricket, Test matches in England require a different approach. The surfaces and conditions often call for more patience and a slightly different body alignment at the crease.
“At the same time, coming to England, you’ve got to play a little side-on and that helps. That’s the basic technical thing which I have shifted, other than that it’s just the mindset thing,” he said.
Vice-Captaincy Adds Responsibility but Doesn’t Change Focus
This series will also see Pant start as India’s vice-captain. While that’s a big step in his career, he says it doesn’t change how he thinks once he’s on the field.
“I am in a good head space. See, it’s an added responsibility, but when you are in the middle, you are not thinking, oh! I am the vice-captain, I am the senior player, etc. You are just a batter in between and you’ve got to do the best for your side,” he explained.
“So, I haven’t changed my mindset. I’ve got more authority now, but at the same time, I’m not thinking about it too much,” Pant added.
Shubman Gill to Replace Kohli at Number Four
Pant also addressed the lineup and confirmed a major change. Shubman Gill will take over the number four spot, a position long associated with Indian greats like Kohli and Tendulkar.
“I think there is still discussion going on, who’s going to play three, but definitely four and five are fixed. I think Shubman is going to bat at number four, and I am going to stick to number five as of now, and the rest, we are going to keep on discussing that,” he said.
Gill has mostly batted at number three so far, where he has scored over a thousand runs in 17 matches. All three of his centuries have come in home conditions, so this series will test him in a new spot and a tougher environment.
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