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India vs Australia: Not Rohit Sharma or Hanuma Vihari, Gavaskar wants this cricketer to bat at No. 6 for India

Rishabh Pant has performed quite well in the ongoing Test series and former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes that he should bat at No.6 for India.

Updated on: Jan 6, 2019, 07:51:47 IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
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Rishabh Pant impressed experts and supporters alike as the youngster slammed a brilliant century to put India in control in the third Test encounter against Australia in Melbourne. Pant has performed quite well in the ongoing Test series and former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes that he should bat at No.6 for India.

Rohit Sharma plays a shot during day two of the third Test match. (AFP)
Rohit Sharma plays a shot during day two of the third Test match. (AFP)

“If at all, you’re looking at balancing the team out, then you have got to have Pant batting at No. 6. Every single game, he has contributed 30s and 40s. In Sydney, he scored a 159. Before that, he has consistently got starts, which makes him a very useful batsman to have at No. 6. The more responsibility you give him at No. 6, he will convert a lot of those 30s and 40s into 100s,” Gavaskar told India Today.

READ: India vs Australia Live Cricket Score 4th Test Day 4 in Sydney

Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a hundred against Australia as India batted the hosts out of the contest at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Pant’s innings was exceptional with the 21-year-old raising his second test century just after tea with his eighth boundary, before accelerating the scoring with some improvised strokes to speed past 150 in 183 balls.

READ: MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli: KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya pick the ‘better captain’

Pant also surpassed former Indian keeper Farokh Engineer’s score of 89 runs at Adelaide in 1967-68 to become the highest run-getter for India against Australia as a wicket-keeper batsman.

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