Mark Wood, one of England’s most feared fast bowlers, has revealed how tough it is to bowl to Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. Pant is known for his aggressive and unpredictable style of play.
When people think of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma come to mind. These two experienced players have given bowlers a hard time for years. Kohli usually gets settled at the crease, while Rohit likes to hit the ball for sixes.
But when Mark Wood was asked which Indian batsman is the hardest to bowl to, he chose Pant over Kohli and Sharma. Wood said Pant’s unique approach makes him a nightmare for any bowler. Pant always does something unexpected and makes bowlers change their plans.
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The battle between Pant’s fearless hitting and Wood’s fast bowling has created a great rivalry. Pant seems to enjoy batting against England. In 16 games, he has scored 1260 runs at 46.66, including 5 centuries.
On the Stick to Cricket podcast, Wood said, I think you have to stay calm. You can’t be too predictable or you’ll play into his hands. If you’re consistent he can hit the ball where he wants. You need to mix things up, maybe with a slower ball, a high bouncer or something different.
Pant last played for India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He played 4 matches and scored 479 runs, including 2 centuries and 3 half-centuries.
In the 4th Test of the series, Pant got hurt while trying to reverse sweep Chris Woakes. He fractured his foot and had to be carried off the field. Despite the injury he batted to help India get a wicket in the first innings and also scored a half-century.
Everyone praised Pant for his bravery at Old Trafford but the injury ruled him out of the Asia Cup. He missed the deciding Test at Oval and the Asia Cup as he wasn’t fully recovered.
Pant’s recovery is on track. Media reports say his plaster cast has been removed and he will soon head to the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
At the CoE, Pant will go through a short rehab process and focus on getting back in shape. He hopes to be back in the game by the end of September before the squads are picked for the India and West Indies series.
