Vice-captain Rishabh Pant avoids looking at previous failures on England shores; insists young Indian team are viewing five-match series as an opportunity to develop themselves
India’s Rishabh Pant during a training session in Leeds yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
New Indian captain, Shubman Gill, is going to be in the spotlight on the current tour of England. How arduous the task of winning a Test series in England is going to be for the young, inexperienced captain can be gauged from the fact that on the 19 previous tours of England, only three captains have managed to win a series. It all started with Ajit Wadekar in 1971, followed by Kapil Dev in 1986 and Rahul Dravid in 2007. However, the good thing about this young team under Gill is that they do not carry the burden of the past and always look to be positive and show ample enthusiasm, which was on display when they had a prolonged training session at the Headingley ground, where the first Test will commence on Friday.
Talking to the media after the practice session, vice-captain Rishabh Pant said that the team wanted to focus on the present. “As a young team under a young captain, we are looking at it as an opportunity to express ourselves and not thinking of the past, but focusing on playing good cricket. In the absence of seniors [Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma], the young players are taking it as a chance to develop as players further and play good, positive cricket.”
On his relations with Gill, Pant said that he has always had good vibes with him and, having a comfortable off-field relationship, will have a positive impact on the field. “I have had good camaraderie with Gill, we gel well off the field and that is going to keep us in our comfort zone on the field too. I will support him as much as required during the matches.”
During the practice session, the team showed a lot of commitment and dedication after having travelled from London to Leeds via regular train services on Tuesday afternoon. They underwent warm-up drills, fielding practice, especially slip catching, and then finally a batting session in the nets. There was not an idle moment for any player as the session went off in a business-like manner. Pant said that the team have had good preparation both in London and here. “We now realise that we have to be positive, but also respect the conditions [in England]. We also realise we have to play as a team, as we know if the team wins, everybody wins.”
There is no doubt that the preparation leading to the first Test has been excellent. But what will matter is how all that translates into performance on the field for this inexperienced team in red-ball cricket, especially after having played in the prolonged IPL back home. There is no doubt that the mindset, approach and tactics have to undergo a major change. With a hard taskmaster Gautam Gambhir at the helm as coach and a calm and composed captain and equally cool vice-captain, there is an air of positivity all around, with the belief in the camp that they have the capability of doing what the other Indian teams have been unable to achieve over the last two decades here in England.
There is little doubt that Gill holds centre stage, and for that, he will have to lead by example, by making his bat do the talking and then keeping a proper hold on the proceedings as the leader, with ample support from Pant.
03
No. of India captains to win a Test series in England across the last 19 tours
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