'Hold your nerve… or get punished': Mark Wood on why unpredictable Rishabh Pant is every bowler's nightmare

Wood asserted that it is quite crucial to hold one's nerves while bowling to Pant, as he is always ready to attack, and the bowler has to surprise him a bit.

England fast bowler Mark Wood shared his thoughts on the unique challenge of bowling to Rishabh Pant, explaining how the Indian wicketkeeper-batter forces him to stay alert and rethink his approach every time they face off. The English speedster has often crossed paths with Pant on the field, and the clash between his sheer pace and the Indian star's fearless strokeplay has turned their duels into tense, edge-of-the-seat contests.

Rishabh Pant enjoys an impressive batting record against England, with 1260 runs in 16 Tests. (PTI)

Pant enjoys an impressive batting record against England, with 1260 runs in 16 Tests at a sublime average of 46.66, including five centuries.

Wood asserted that it is quite crucial to hold one's nerves while bowling to Pant, as he is always ready to attack, and the bowler has to surprise him a bit.

“I think you've got to hold your nerve. That's basically what I would say, because I think you have to be so unpredictable that it plays into his hands. He can just stand there and wait for anything difficult. But if you're the same all the time, then he's got such a good eye, he sort of hits it where he wants. So I think you've got to have a mixture of holding your nerve with maybe the odd ball that's a bit unpredictable — whether it's a slower ball, or you might change up with a really high bouncer, or something slightly different,” Wood said on the Stick to Cricket podcast as quoted from Sky Sports.

Rishabh Pant misses out on Asia Cup squad

Meanwhile, Pant missed out on the upcoming Asia Cup squad due to a fractured foot. The wicketkeeper hurt his foot on the recently concluded England tour. Pant was injured when attempting a reverse sweep off England fast bowler Chris Woakes, and the ball deflected onto his right ankle and foot during the fourth Test. He retired hurt on Day 1 of the Manchester Test when he was taken off the field on a cart with his right foot badly swollen, but he returned, limping, on Day 2 and scored a half-century. The 27-year-old was replaced as wicketkeeper by Dhruv Jurel for the remainder of the match. Pant wasn't required to bat in India's second innings, with the visitors earning a draw after Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar all posted centuries on the final day.