Devendra Sharma, assistant coach of Sonnet Cricket Club in West Delhi, has watched Rishabh Pant grow from a chubby teenager at Roorkee to one of the most exciting cricket talents in the world. After the third day in Chennai, he had mixed feelings. Pant had saved India again but for the fourth time he came out in the 90s. Sharma was delighted that his service was now seen as the team’s reliable crisis manager, but the blow that made him going out left him worried.
“This coup was not in progress. The ball (by Dom Bess) was released much slower and wider. He hit the hard spot and spun a bit more. I think he (Pant) should have controlled his impulses and sought to turn the strike and uplift his century, ”Sharma told The Indian Express.
The other talking point around the most talked about move of the day was the direction Pant intended to give it. Unlike his previous five sixes, the last stroke of his innings was aimed offside. The untoward shot, intended to clear the long fence, landed in the hands of a deep cover. This window has allowed England to firmly control the procedures.
Memories of Down Under
Pant’s dismissal in Chennai brought back memories of his outing in Round 4 of the Sydney Test – while he was out for 97 – while cutting off a large delivery from Nathan Lyon. Even there the Aussie kept pulling him in to play that shot upside down on the blanket with that line on the outside of the stump.
Sharma also mentions the Sydney shot. “I’ve seen him play that shot a number of times in white ball cricket. After the Sydney test, I asked him why he played that move, and his response was: “marne ki koshish kar raha tha” (I was trying to hit). I think he will learn from these mistakes, ”he explains.
Aggressive stratagem
But before leaving, Pant, along with Pujara, had taken India from 73/4 to 192/4. During his 88-ball 91, Pant negated the threat posed by left-arm spinner Jack Leach. With the rough exterior of the left-handed pants growing taller, Leach would have been difficult to play if the Indian keeper hadn’t targeted him.
Pant’s ustaad and great former Sonet CC trainer Tarak Sinha was proud of the tactics his student used. “He didn’t allow the spinner (Leach) to settle into a rhythm. There were footprints on the outside of Pant’s stump. Because he continued to use his feet for the spinner, he couldn’t exploit the raw marks, ”says Sinha, who recalls the tough times the young wicket keeper faced early in the season. last year.
Regain confidence
Not finding a spot on India’s white ball team and an average IPL had resulted in Pant’s swashbuckling demise. Those big blows which he happily unfolded had abandoned him. Pant’s career was at a crossroads. Help came from Sinha and Sharma.
“He was depressed when he came to see me last year before the lockdown. He was not used to the Indian team and was struggling to string together big hits because he had lost his bat swing, ”Sinha noted.
Sinha and Sharma held open nets at Venkateshwara College where Pant was encouraged to complete the full bat swing. “He used to play a half-miss shot that got him caught in the depths. I asked him to support himself and finish his swing. The hard work finally started to pay off on the Australia tour, ”Sinha concluded.
Confidence and great successes are back. Now, if only Pant can show a little more discretion, he can be the winner of the game India has always wanted in the middle tier since MS Dhoni retired.
Source - website
