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‘It happened in 1994 when someone put Mr Tendulkar at the top’: Sridhar explains how Pant can 'walk the talk' like Rohit
Rishabh Pant is renowned as an attacking batter who loves to put the pressure on opposition bowlers.
Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma made a surprising but highly effective change to the Indian lineup for the second T20I against England, as Rishabh Pant was promoted to open the batting, instead of his regular middle-order role. The decision made its benefits clear as Pant quickly got to 26(15), including a 49-run opening partnership with captain Rohit. Also Read | 'He is watching the game from outside...': Rohit Sharma's stern response to Kapil Dev over Virat Kohli's future
While it was slightly out of the blue, this tactic has been backed by former players. They have argued it can assist India get off to rapid starts in the powerplay, and the team can make full use of Pant’s aggression and creativity at the crease. One such proponent of the move is former India fielding coach R Sridhar, who compared this decision to that of choosing to promote Sachin Tendulkar to open in 50-over cricket in 1994.
Speaking on Sony Sports, Sridhar said, “Hopefully, it’s going to be a watershed moment like it happened in 1994 when someone put Mr. Tendulkar at the top. I think to start with, a left-hander at the top is very, very important. He can make bowling ridiculously silly, and he will walk the talk like Rohit is doing.”
Pant is renowned as an attacking batter who loves to put the pressure on opposition bowlers. Such a batter is one who might not bat for huge scores in T20 matches, but will make rapid progress in the powerplay and ensure the run-rate is high, giving more time for the middle order to settle in.
“He will play the way he would want the team to play. He will put off the bowling unit,” said Sridhar. “He will create fear and all the bowlers will focus on him. It will open up the other end.”
Pant began his career as an opener, playing in that position at age group cricket to great effect. He has opened for India in one ODI as well, although that was not a successful experiment. His innings at Edgbaston, however, will raise India's hope of this working out in the future.
