India vs Australia: After blazing start to his Test career, time for Rishabh Pant to put in hard shifts

You have got to be a little crazy to hit only the second ball you face in Test cricket for a six to get off the mark. But as the good old Apple TV commercial said, the “crazy ones are the genius ones”. And Rishabh Pant, who became the first Indian to start his Test career with a six, has all that it takes to turn into a genius one. After all, it’s his raw talent and the unrestricted possibilities the Delhi lad offers that has made him scale so much in a short time. He made his T20I debut at the age of 19 in 2017 and forayed into Test and ODI cricket by 21. [caption id=“attachment_5657861” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Rishabh Pant. Reuters[/caption] In his debut Test series, Pant also managed to create another record when he scored his maiden ton at the Oval. With the innings of 114, the 21-year-old became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in England, surpassing the previous best of 92 made by MS Dhoni. Pant’s confidence in his abilities and game-changing style of play is the reason that a lot is expected from him. The biggest weight on his shoulder is the chosen path for him to succeed Dhoni. The colossal figure that Dhoni is, it’s nothing short of a herculean task for anyone to replace him as a player let alone his leadership. But Pant has made giant strides so far. However, now that he’s part of India side across all formats, he must understand that the responsibility has doubled. The talent is there for everyone to see but his primary job of wicket-keeping still doesn’t invoke a lot of confidence and while batting he has often been found guilty of playing to the gallery. Pant is an aggressive batsman by nature which adds to his utility, the focus should not be on curbing his natural instinct but on weeding out the habit of taking unnecessary risk. The most recent example of it was at Brisbane during the first T20I against Australia, where a needless scoop in the second-last over by after being set, led to his dismissal and it played a part in helping the hosts snatch a win from the jaws of defeat. Just a few days back before that, he made a sublime 58 against Windies at Chennai in the third and final T20I but faltered once against before crossing the line, turning the match into a last-ball thriller, which India eventually won. In October, batting on 92 against Windies in Rajkot Test, he had the opportunity to become first Indian wicket-keeper to score two back-to-back Test tons but another reckless shot proved to be his undoing. In Australia, however, India would need him to come good with the bat consistently, especially if they decide to play five bowlers. The runs from English lower order hurt India badly in the series which they lost 4-1 and with Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in Australian rank, the opponents are more than capable to frustrating Indian bowlers again. In such a case, runs from Pant’s bat could prove to be crucial in deciding India’s fortune in the series and for that, the left-hander must learn to control to his aggression at times for the greater good. Coming to his primary job, Pant made a horrible start, conceding 76 byes in his first three Tests and also dropped a few crucial catches. Even a layman can point out that Pant’s wicket-keeping technique is off the mark but being unorthodox is not an obstacle. Unorthodox keeping didn’t handicap Dhoni from being best in the business. Just like Dhoni, Pant also relies heavily on his quick reflexes and fast hands. And just like the veteran, Pant must identify the shortcomings soon and iron them out going into a series with history at stake. After all, wicket-keeping is a thankless job. If you do it perfectly, you don’t make heads turn but a single mistake puts you in the eye of the storm. With battings pros like Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara in the side, there’s a less possibility of him hogging the limelight with the bat but if India do end up realising their dream of Test series win on Australian soil, be rest assured that Pant would have played his role perfectly with the bat and gloves.