Pant Admits He Wasn't Ready to Lead During His Defensive Innings

Sydney, Jan 3 (NationPress) India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant reflected on his defensive innings of 40 runs off 98 balls in the fifth Test against Australia on Friday, emphasizing that he was not in the right mindset to take control of the game.

Pant came in to bat at No. 5 when India was struggling at 57/3 early in the day. Adapting to the match's requirements, Pant adopted a defensive stance and endured several blows on the challenging Sydney Cricket Ground pitch.

“It’s certainly painful, but sometimes you have to put in the hard work for the team, and that’s perfectly fine. I didn’t dwell on where I got hit. I focused on playing the ball to the best of my ability, and that’s all I could do,” Pant remarked after play concluded.

“This is the first time I have faced so many hits (to my body). In cricket, you can’t really plan everything. At some point in your career, everything happens for the first time. That was my experience today; I tried not to overthink it.”

“In this innings, I wasn’t in a frame of mind to take charge because the wicket was offering too much assistance to the bowlers, considering the situation we were in. While batting, I felt that adopting a more defensive approach was necessary. There’s definitely a time to attack, but you must sense that from within,” he added.

Pant commented on the pitch conditions, admitting it was challenging to bat while recognizing the necessity to adapt to the environment.

“I hope the conditions remain consistent for us. It felt like a tough pitch; the ball was moving significantly off the wicket, particularly after the second session. As cricketers, we need to adjust to whatever conditions we face and strive to make the most of it,” he stated.

Regarding India’s first innings total of 185, Pant acknowledged that it fell short of a competitive score but believed that with the ball moving as it was, they still had a chance to mount a comeback on Day 2.

“I wouldn’t classify it as a par score; anything above 220 to 250 would be considered par. However, it remains a competitive total given the current movement of the ball, which provides significant assistance to the bowlers. We hope to capitalize on that,” the wicketkeeper explained.

For Australia, pacer Scott Boland shone with impressive figures of 4-31 in his 20 overs, dismantling India’s batting lineup. Pant praised Boland, calling him an exceptional bowler for his disciplined bowling.

“He’s been an outstanding bowler; his line and length are particularly challenging in Test cricket. He appears well-acquainted with these conditions. Despite being new to international cricket, it feels like he has been around for a long time due to his experience playing in Australia. As an international cricketer, you must find ways to adapt every day. Even when a bowler is performing well, you need to seek solutions. I hold a lot of respect for him, but we also need to develop strategies to counter his bowling,” he said.

At stumps, Australia was at 9/1 after three overs following Jasprit Bumrah’s dismissal of Usman Khawaja (2) on the final ball of the opening day.