Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta has backed Rishabh Pant to retain his aggressive approach during the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, rather than adopting an overly defensive mindset against the hosts’ spin-heavy attack.
Dasgupta believes Pant’s ability to change the course of a Test match makes him one of India’s biggest assets in the middle order. He feels the wicketkeeper-batter should use his natural attacking instincts to put pressure on Sri Lanka’s spinners.
“He should bat exactly the way he usually does. I remember a few matches back where he was overtly defensive. I would rather have him get out going for a six than getting out playing a forceful defense,” Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel.
Dasgupta wants Pant to embrace his strengths
The former India wicketkeeper pointed out that different batters have different strengths when dealing with challenging bowling attacks. While some players are naturally more comfortable relying on their defensive technique, others are at their best when taking the attack to the opposition.
“The truth is certain batters have defense as their strength, while it’s attack for others,” the 49-year-old explained.
Dasgupta feels Pant falls firmly into the latter category and should not move away from the attacking style that has made him such an influential Test batter.
Pant closing in on Test sixes milestone
Pant has established an impressive record in Test cricket, scoring 3,557 runs in 50 matches at an average of 43.37, including eight centuries and 19 fifties.
He has also smashed 97 sixes in the format and needs just three more to become the first Indian batter to reach 100 Test sixes.
Pant has maintained strong consistency during the current World Test Championship cycle, averaging more than 50 across his eight matches. However, he managed only 30 runs across two innings in India’s recent warm-up match against a Sri Lanka Cricket XI side.
With the first Test scheduled to begin in Galle on August 15, Pant’s approach against Sri Lanka’s spinners could prove crucial to India’s chances of making a strong start to the series.
