Legendary South Africa batter AB de Villiers shared his honest take on Rishabh Pant's fearless batting against England in the first Test at Leeds. Pant etched his name in the history books during the opening Test, becoming only the second wicketkeeper to register centuries in both innings of a match. His fearless strokeplay thrilled the crowd and kept the atmosphere electric throughout.
The wicketkeeper batter didn't shy away from taking on the English bowlers and played some audacious shots and breached the triple-figure mark in both innings.
De Villiers also weighed in on Pant’s high-risk style of batting, noting that he counted nearly 20 moments where Pant could have been dismissed before reaching 30 in either innings. However, he acknowledged that this fearless approach is exactly what defines Pant’s game and contributes to his success.
"He plays with extreme risk. It's sometimes going to frustrate the living daylights out of you. I can count 20 occasions where he could have gotten out for under 30 in both innings. But he didn't, and that's the most important thing. He is a player that takes it to the opposition, and 99 out of 100 times, those are your successful sports people," De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
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The left-handed batter, who notched up 134 in the first innings, followed it up with a second-innings century off 130 balls, eventually finishing on 118. Recently appointed as India’s vice-captain, Pant displayed a mature approach early in his second knock. After a few loose shots, he quickly adjusted, showing restraint during a testing phase before Lunch. But come the second session, he shifted gears, launching a calculated counterattack that put the English bowlers firmly on the back foot.
“…Rishabh, what are you doing?”
{{/usCountry}}The left-handed batter, who notched up 134 in the first innings, followed it up with a second-innings century off 130 balls, eventually finishing on 118. Recently appointed as India’s vice-captain, Pant displayed a mature approach early in his second knock. After a few loose shots, he quickly adjusted, showing restraint during a testing phase before Lunch. But come the second session, he shifted gears, launching a calculated counterattack that put the English bowlers firmly on the back foot.
“…Rishabh, what are you doing?”
{{/usCountry}}De Villiers said he was stunned by Pant's outlandish batting, but praised him for getting results with his approach.
"I was on the couch, going, Rishabh, what are you doing? It's not the time and place for this. But look at the results. That's all that matters. It is a huge shame they couldn't cross the line because he deserved to be the Man of the Match," he added.
However, despite the defeat, the former Proteas skipper doesn't think India need to hit the panic button yet.
"Lots of questions all of a sudden. I know there are a lot of media people around, writing the big headlines, 'we need change'. I don't think it's time to panic yet. It is a five-Test match series."