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Rohit Sharma said India is not putting any added pressure on Rishabh Pant, given he already expects the best from himself.
Rishabh Pant. (AFP Photo)
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma threw his weight behind Rishabh Pant on Tuesday, saying the team was not putting any extra pressure on the wicketkeeper-batter amid a slight slump in his form in the ongoing 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). He said Pant knew what was expected of him and was working hard to get back into the runs in the final two Tests.
Pant, considering his heroics in the last BGT in Australia, is considered one of India’s most important batters for the tour. He scored a crucial 37 in the first innings of the first Test in Perth but hasn’t been able to go beyond that in the four innings since. Better planning from the Aussies and top-order collapses advancing his entry point have both played a role.
“There is no such pressure,” Rohit said in the press conference ahead of the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). “He has played just three Tests here. He has scored runs in India, has been in good form. If two or three Tests go up and down, too much of judgement is not right. He knows what he has to do… See, as I told you, all these youngsters – Rishabh, [Shubman] Gill, [Yashasvi] Jaiswal, all these youngsters are in the same boat. We don’t want to complicate what they do. They know what they are expected to do.”
“Our job here is to keep talking them about and make them understand small things like match awareness. I don’t think we need to tell them more and complicate stuff. Rishabh knows what he has to do. He has a lot of expectations from himself too. He is certainly working hard. Perhaps we’ll see something good in last two matches.” Rohit added.
The next two Tests might offer the best-suited conditions for Pant. The MCG will likely have a decent covering of grass but would get easier to bat on as it comes off. At the same time, Pant has an average of 146 after scores of 159* (189), 36 (67) and 97 (118) in three innings at the Syndey Cricket Ground, which is the most spin-friendly Test venue in Australia.
- Location :
Melbourne, Australia
