“The way he wanted to approach it and when he wanted to attack, he did [and just] because he plays aggressive [cricket] does not mean he cannot play defensive,” Kotak said
Sitanshu Kotak. Pic/PTI
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on Saturday said Rishabh Pant’s stroke-filled 134 was different from his usual aggressive knocks, and admitted that India could not get the first-innings score they were looking for against England in the first Test.
“Rishabh Pant is someone who makes his own plans. He decides [the way] and [then] he bats. This innings was a little different than you would see him normally but honestly that is all his plans,” Kotak told the media after the day’s play.
“The way he wanted to approach it and when he wanted to attack, he did [and just] because he plays aggressive [cricket] does not mean he cannot play defensive,” Kotak said.
Meanwhile, Devender Sharma, one of Pant’s childhood coaches, attributed the resurgence to the work the wicketkeeper batter has put in on his defence and shot selection. “After he failed in Australia, he made a lot of changes to his defensive techniques and curbed his stroke play, which you also saw in the match. Pant is a match-winner,” Sharma told PTI.
Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri said: “Outrageous. He [Pant] plays the numbers game beautifully, plays the way he wants. He will block for a bit and then shift gears,” Shastri said on Sky Sports.
“He has his own computer and only he knows how it works. That’s his USP. That’s what puts bowlers under pressure and makes him box office, a real entertainer and a match winner,” he added.
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