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Ben Stokes can't stop raving about Rishabh Pant: ‘Two hundreds in a game, very dangerous player’
Rishabh Pant, who lit up the first Test with scintillating twin centuries — 134 in the first innings and 118 in the second — was one of the standout performers.
As anticipation builds for the second Test between India and England at Edgbaston, England captain Ben Stokes has heaped praise on Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, calling him a "very dangerous player" and admitting he "absolutely loves watching him play cricket."
Pant, who lit up the first Test at Leeds with scintillating twin centuries — 134 in the first innings followed by 118 in the second — was one of the standout performers despite India's eventual defeat. England pulled off a record chase of 371, winning by five wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday’s second Test, Stokes lauded Pant's fearless approach and natural flair.
“I absolutely love watching Rishabh Pant play cricket. I love the way he takes it on, in all formats of the game,” said Stokes. “He has got a bit of stick in his time, but that type of talent, when you let that type of talent be free, that is what can happen, you know, like last week.”
Stokes had an interesting battle with Pant, especially in the first innings, where he tried to outsmart the India wicketkeeper-batter with different variations, but the left-hander was up to it. Pant, in fact, got off the mark with a boundary off Stokes on his second ball by charging down the track to the England captain in the first innings. All Stokes could do was laugh in admiration.
Rishabh Pant will give us chances': Ben Stokes
Despite Pant’s heroics, Stokes acknowledged that the way Pant plays gives the opposition opportunities.
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“Two hundreds in the game — credit to him. We know we are going to get our chances with the way Rishabh plays. On a different day, it could have looked a little bit different if one of those shots had gone straight into a hand,” he said. “But yeah, very dangerous player. We know what he brings to the Indian team. I really enjoy watching him.”
The England skipper, known for his own aggressive style, seemed to appreciate Pant's attacking instincts — a quality that has made the Indian left-hander a crowd favorite and a game-changer across formats.
When asked whether uncertainty around Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the entire series affects England's planning, Stokes remained unfazed.
“That is India's problem to deal with. I am the captain of England. Let India decide what they want to do and what they want to say publicly,” he responded, keeping the focus firmly on his own side.
England announced their playing XI for the second Test, making no changes from the team that secured the win at Leeds. The XI features Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett as openers, followed by Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Harry Brook. Jamie Smith retains the gloves, with Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir rounding out the bowling attack.
England Playing XI for Second Test vs India:
Zak Crawley
Ben Duckett
Ollie Pope
Joe Root
Harry Brook
Ben Stokes (c)
Jamie Smith (wk)
Chris Woakes
Brydon Carse
Josh Tongue
Shoaib Bashir
The second Test kicks off on Wednesday at Edgbaston, with India looking to bounce back and England hoping to extend their series lead.
