Rishabh Pant wasn't supposed to lead the Indian side in the home series against South Africa. But KL Rahul's injury left selectors to name Pant as the leader for the five-match contest. And while Pant was criticised for his captaincy in the first two games where India lost, the Men in Blue made a stunning comeback in the next two to force a decider, albeit the series ended in a draw after rain washed out the fifth tie.
With the South Africa contest now over, Pant has set his eyes on his next two big targets. He has been rested for the two-match T20I series against Ireland which begins later this month, but Pant will be back in action for the rescheduled fifth Test against England and he is keen to win the series for India where the visitors lead 2-1 after four Tests played in the 2021 contest.
Pant also wants to focus a lot on his batting after his run tally a similar mode of dismissal drew ample criticism from veterans and cricket experts who have begun ruling him out of India's final 15 for the 2022 T20 World Cup.
“We will be keen to win the Test we are going to play in England and from a personal point of view I am keen to contribute more to the team with the bat,” he said in the post-match presentation on Sunday.
{{/usCountry}}“We will be keen to win the Test we are going to play in England and from a personal point of view I am keen to contribute more to the team with the bat,” he said in the post-match presentation on Sunday.
{{/usCountry}}Pant scored just 58 runs in five innings at a strike rate of only 105 in the series against South Africa. His next T20I outing is likely to be in England.
Despite the drawn series, Pant admitted that there were a lot of positives to look at.
"There are a lot of positives. The way the team showed character from 0-2 down was a huge positive. We are in a nice spot as we are finding different ways to win the game. So, more than frustration (about rain playng spoilsport), there are plenty of positives to look at," Pant added.