Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra showered praise on Rishabh Pant after the fourth day of the second Test match against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Pant scored an attacking knock of 65 runs off 58 balls with eight fours and three sixes.
The left-hander played his natural game and scored his runs at an impressive strike rate of 112.07. Pant’s knock was able to strengthen India’s lead as he continued his rich form against England.
The southpaw added 110 runs with his captain Shubman Gill, who went on to score another impressive knock of 161 runs.
“The day started with two wickets and the ball was wobbling a little. KL Rahul and Karun Nair got out, and suddenly, you feel India might go into a shell. However, here comes Rishabh Pant. He started throwing his bat, quite literally as well. It was a slightly chancy innings, but then he keeps smashing,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
The renowned commentator added that Pant’s pugnacious approach helped India stay ahead in the game.
“When he smashes so much, suddenly, you find that you have gone ahead in the game. Rishabh Pant, the entertainer and exciting batter that he is, brings his maverick style to this game. He shifts gears and runs very fast when a total needs to be set, and he did that here as well. I thought it was an important innings in the context of the game,” he observed.
On the other hand, India’s number three batter Karun Nair once again could not convert his start as he was dismissed after scoring 26 runs. Nair has scored only 77 runs in the first two Test matches against England at an average of 19.25 and thus he has failed to grab his opportunity.
“It’s been four innings now. He played at No. 6 first and then at No. 3. He has played decently as well, but the big knock hasn’t come. So what next for Karun Nair? Cricket has given him a second chance. He has himself snatched that second chance because he scored so many runs in domestic cricket,” he said.
“Karun Nair has got a chance, but he hasn’t been able to grab it with both hands thus far. I would say the Lord’s Test for sure. Play him one more match for sure. It’s great if you can give him eight innings, but you need to give a minimum of six innings because there will not be a third chance. Give him an extra match,” Chopra observed.
England ended the fourth day’s play at 72-3 after India have set up a target of 608.
