ADELAIDE: His pyrotechnics has the Australians in splits, but India’s assistant coach
Sanjay Bangar maintains that there is more to
Rishabh Pant than the somersaults, cartwheels and back flips that he executes in his warm-up routine and, of course, his blind hitting.
“He is a pretty mature player. In one of the home Tests against the West Indies, he batted differently. He is capable of playing both games — attacking as well as defensive. For someone who is just starting his career, he is an exciting prospect,” Bangar told mediapersons at the end of the fourth day’s play.
Praising Pant’s cameo in India’s second innings, Bangar said: “When he walked in we were 260-odd and immediately he released the pressure and gave us those quick 30-35 runs which put us in a good position. We don’t want to take the fearlessness away from his game. Hitting against the turn is fraught with risk, but he manages to do that well. I think with time he will learn to mix caution with aggression.”
Bangar also praised
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane for putting India on a firm footing in the opening Test. “We have been through some difficult periods where we have played in difficult conditions on our previous two tours. But they have really started well here. Both are quality batsmen and whenever they have done well, they have put us in a good position,” Bangar opined.