‘With one loss I cannot assess that’: Virat Kohli on Rishabh Pant’s lack of runs

Addressing the post-match virtual presser, Kohli said the team management will give him all the space that he needs in the remainder of the five-Test series against England.

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant’s form is under scrutiny once again due to his inconsistency in the ongoing tour of England. The dynamic youngster was considered as one of the threats to the hosts but so far, Pant has managed to score just 87 runs, with 37 being his highest score.

India's Rishabh Pant (AP)

On Saturday, Pant’s patience was tested one more time, after captain Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara fell prey to Ollie Robinson early in the morning session. But he failed to mark his presence and was dismissed for 1 by the English quick. India were all-out for 278, losing the third Test by an innings and 76 runs.

Despite a series of inconsistent performances, the youngster was backed by his captain. Addressing the post-match virtual presser, Kohli said the team management will give him all the space that he needs in the remainder of the five-Test series against England.

When asked whether Pant's lack of runs was creating problems for the lower middle-order, Kohli said, “Well again, as I said, with one loss I cannot assess that or I cannot start analysing that as a captain. Definitely the management is not going to start analysing that because we are not failing as a team. Consistently we are not losing, this is what I mean, when I say that, we failed this game as team definitely and we take responsibility for that.”

“Similar conversations were being initiated about (Cheteshwar) Pujara as well, which seemed to have disappeared after yesterday, so we want to give, as I said in the past, Rishabh all the space to play his game and understand situations and take responsibility like it is expected of everyone else in the batting order,” said Kohli.

According to Kohli, cricketers cannot be judged all the time on the basis of numbers.

“You can't judge people all the time on numbers, and whether they are succeeding or failing, that is not how you make a team. There is still time in this series. After two more Test matches, we can look back and reflect and analyse, okay these are the areas that were not quite right but at this moment, it's not the time,” the skipper added.

(With PTI Inputs)