'India would rather have Rishabh Pant taking catches than talking'

INDIArsquoS young wicketkeeper Rishabh Pantrsquos chatterbanter has attracted eyes and ears in this edition of the BorderGavaskar Trophy Pantrsquos lsquoencouragementrsquo to India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin as well as Australiarsquos tailend batsman Pat Cummins was amusing to some and annoying to others in Adelaide His utterances could be heard clearly when the host broadcaster Seven Network and Fox Sports decided to turn on the stump microphone for one over with no commentary onPant was his usual talkative self on Day One of the second Test at Perth yesterday something that didnrsquot escape the attention of India batsmanturnedcommentator Sanjay ManjrekarSanjay ManjrekarThe former India batsman who is a commentator for Sony Pictures Network talks to midday about the pitch at the ongoing second Test at Perthrsquos new stadium the four pace bowlers combination and Indiarsquos scope of winning their maiden Test series in Australia after the historic triumph in Adelaide ExcerptsIs the pitch at Perthrsquos Optus Stadium similar to the WACANot quite You got to change with the modern demands You have these high stands on all sides So the wind factor at Perth which is the other major factor along with pace and bounce thatrsquos gone out of the game Yes it is not ideal but it is still Perth and it has got some traits of the old PerthYou played at the WACA in the 199192 tour Can you recall the bounce you faced and the one at the new stadiumTodayrsquos pitch has been a strange one It cannot be called like the old WACA I have never seen a pitch like this When it started off with the new ball nothing happened In the second session the pace and bounce came in There was more carry to the rsquokeeper In the third session we saw lateral movement with the second new ball So it was most difficult to play in the third session When we played at the WACA there wasnrsquot as much grass on the pitch because the soil was so hard and it was so bouncy that the grass cover was not needed Once you were set at the WACA batting was really enjoyable thereWill this pitch deteriorate or ease up as the play progressesIt has been a bipolar pitch like people with bipolar vision This pitch has been something like that Michael Hussey was telling me that there is no chance of this pitch improving because under the grass cover there are cracks When the ball hits that area we see the ball flying high or keeping low If you look at it from that standpoint Australia have really got a good score Batting first has been a blessing Itrsquos been a very difficult pitch to understand It changed character every session and the Indian bowlers had to quickly find a way to adapt accordinglyDo you think India should have played a spinnerIndia should have played one spinner There has to be a dire need to play a fourth seamer Going by that logic India should have used their second best spinner Ravindra Jadeja Indiarsquos style has been to play with three seamers and one spinner Like the West Indies of the old they would play three seamers even on Indian pitches They didnrsquot go with four spinners suddenly So India should resist this temptation of playing four seamers It has never been our style And I think Australia doesnrsquot play spin that well Jadeja through the rough to lefthanders the roughs these days are deciding the fate of a Test match So I would have gone with JadejaWas Virat Kohlirsquos captaincy a bit defensive when Australian openers Marcus Harris and Aaron Finch got goingVirat is interesting I donrsquot mind the fielder that he has behind He rarely has a fielder deep at the expense of a catching person There are always enough people in catching positions He has a boundary rider to stop the runs Itrsquos a ploy that works quite well with modernday batsmen where they hit a loose ball for one run There is a tendency to get frustrated In Perth you have to be careful to not attack too much It is also the fastest scoring venue You get wickets on it but runs also come very quicklyWhat are the areas that India need to guard against to claim their maiden Test series victory in AustraliaOne thing is fatigue because you can see that coming into play today They had a long work out in the second innings at Adelaide and in three days time they were bowling again That is something that they have to be careful about and ensure they are well rested The other problem is when five or six wickets are down there is a tendency among one or two bowlers to get a little complacent The intensity or the desperation to get the remaining wickets which is there early on is not very visibleldquoEspecially when you watch Mohammed Shami when he is bowling to the first four or five batsmen and the way he bowls to the No 8 9 and 10 I think the intensity dies down a little bit That is something that he needs to guard against This series will be decided by which of the two weak batting units bat better Both teams have one major weakness batting So it is not so much about bowling It is all about how well they bat because both teams have a fragile batting unitRishabh Pantrsquos banter is as much in focus as his wicketkeeping How do you view it This chatterbanter happens often It happens at all levels Only thing is these days the broadcasters are not only getting the volume of the stump microphone up Here the host broadcaster Seven Network and Fox Sports has gone a step further and they actually donrsquot put any commentary for one over You can only hear the chatter In cricket there has been a tradition in all team meetings the wicketkeeper is told to keep encouraging the bowler The moment he dropped the catch of Shaun Marsh off Hanuma Vihari suddenly he went quiet for twothree overs That is when he has to be careful If being quiet is going to help him focus better then the Indian team would rather have him taking catches than looking to encourage the bowlers all the time or all that banter that goes aroundCatch up on all the latest sports news and 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