India's Rishabh Pant didn’t get the desired results in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand but what baffled many including the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Michal Vaughan and Aakash Chopra was the left-hander’s repeated attempts to charge down the track against the pacers when the situation demanded sensible batting in the second innings.
Pant’s repeated audacious shots and failing to make contact raised questions about his game awareness, especially when India had lost half their side and were battling to save the match and not trying to force a win. Reacting to the wicketkeeper-batsman’s approach, India captain Virat Kohli said it is up to Pant how he sees the shot he got out to in the second innings.
“We don't want him to lose his positivity or optimism in changing the situation for the team. We are not too worried. It is up to him to understand whether it was an error in judgement and rectify it moving forward," Kohli said in the post-match press conference after India’s 8-wicket loss to New Zealand on Wednesday in Southampton.
Coming in to bat after India lost overnight batsmen Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, Pant got an early reprieve when he was dropped by Tim Southee off Kyle Jamieson. But the left-hander continued to play his shots. The fact that he failed to make contact multiple times after charging down the track to the seamers, made matters look ugly. Pant was finally out for 41 while attempting another slog over mid-wicket off Trent Boult.
{{/usCountry}}Coming in to bat after India lost overnight batsmen Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, Pant got an early reprieve when he was dropped by Tim Southee off Kyle Jamieson. But the left-hander continued to play his shots. The fact that he failed to make contact multiple times after charging down the track to the seamers, made matters look ugly. Pant was finally out for 41 while attempting another slog over mid-wicket off Trent Boult.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli, however, seemed fine with his intent to score rather than looking to survive. "Rishabh's definitely going to be an expressive player whenever he gets an opportunity...he assesses it really well and when things don't come off, you can say error in judgement, which is acceptable in sport," the skipper said.