Gautam Gambhir told 'not to get in the head' of Rishabh Pant and let him go: 'Let the boy play'
India head coach Gautam Gambhir requested to not clutter the mind of Rishabh Pant and let him play his natural game in Tests.
All eyes were on Rishabh Pant heading into the five-match series against England, and the left-handed batter has lived up to the billing. The southpaw smashed centuries in both innings of the first Test in Headingley, becoming just the second wicketkeeper-batter in the history of the game to do so. His 118-run knock in the second innings helped India set a target of 371 for England.
Former England pacer Steve Harmison has now advised India head coach Gautam Gambhir not to clutter Pant's mind with too many messages and to let him play in the manner he wants to. He also said that there is no need for the 27-year-old to curb his natural instincts as he continues to be a game-changer.
Rishabh Pant followed his 134-run knock in the first innings with 118 in the second innings of the Headingley Test. He is now just the second wicketkeeper-batter after Zimbabwe's Andy Flower to hit twin centuries in a single Test.
In the second innings, Pant also formed a 195-run stand for the fourth wicket with KL Rahul. The latter was the top scorer for India in the second innings, scoring 137 runs.
"Pant is third now on the all-time list of six-hitters for India. The top two are Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma. The number one hit me for quite a few. But it was the control and then the utterly random madness of his attacks, and then he'd go back into his shell, hit a couple more sixes, and go back into his shell. Yeah, we said yesterday it's about that voice in his ear," Harmison said on TalkSport Cricket.
"There's a voice in his ear, and I think some people in coaching might say, ‘Right, I need to get into his head and try to make him think this way or bat that way.’ If you're a coach of India and you're a coach of Rishabh Pant, I'd be terrified to try to get into his head. I mean, let the boy play, let him go," he added.
'Rishabh Pant is box office'
Rishabh Pant's second innings knock was studded with 15 fours and 3 sixes. He took a special liking to Shoaib Bashir as he smashed him around for fun. However, the England spinner had the last laugh as he had him caught in the deep.
India were eventually bowled out for 364 in the second innings, setting England a target of 371. At Stumps on Day 4, England's score read 21/0 with the hosts still 350 runs away from the target. For England, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett are unbeaten on 12 and 9 respectively.
"We saw last night, first ball of the last over, half past six — out of the ground for six, over 70 metres. I mean, he is box office. His celebration, everything about him is," said Harmison.
"I tell you what, that character—while he's in cricket, it's a better place, because he's a wonderful, wonderful character and a wonderful player," he added.
