Filling in the blanks
Headingley: India vice-captain Rishabh Pant on Wednesday confirmed that Shubman Gill will bat at No. 4 in the Test series against England, while he will follow the skipper at the No. 5 slot.
The retirement of Virat Kohli had made it mandatory for India to find a new batter at No. 4, and Gill is now going to bat at the pivotal position.
“I think there is still discussion going on about who is going to play 3. But 4, 5 are definitely fixed. I think Shubman is going to bat at 4 and I am going to stick to No. 5 as of now, and rest we are going to keep on discussing that,” he said.
Pant also said he maintains a wonderful relationship with Gill on and off the field.
“I think me and Shubman have a really good camaraderie off the field. If you’re good friends off the field, it eventually comes on the field as well. That is something I’ve always believed,” he noted.
Shift in stance
Pant also said that he has effected a slight change to his stance — from open in white-ball formats to more side-on in Test cricket to meet the demands of the swing-friendly England conditions.
Pant will have to play a larger role for India with the bat, particularly in the absence of retired stars such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
“I think mostly it’s (changes) mental, a little bit of technical too. It is like in one-day and T20s you have to open up your stance because of the kind of shots you want to play,” Pant said in a press conference here.
Pant has a good record as a batter in England, making 556 runs from nine Tests at an average of 32.70 with two hundreds and as many fifties.
“At the same time coming to England you got to play a little side-on and that really helps. That’s the basic technical thing which I have shifted, other than that it’s just the mindset thing,” he added.
However, this time the left-hander will start the series as vice-captain, and Pant said the additional responsibility has not tinkered with his regular thought process.
“Personally, I am in a good headspace. See, it’s an added responsibility but when you are in the middle you are not thinking, oh! I am the vice-captain, I am the senior player etc. You are just a batsman in between, and you got to do the best for your side.
“So, I haven’t changed my mindset. I’ve got more authority now but at the same time I’m not thinking about it too much.”
Pant said he was just trying to impart his experience from previous visits to England to the younger members of the side. “It’s a responsibility to share your knowledge, your experience with new players, youngsters coming to the team but at the same time not focusing on that senior part too much. “You still have to play the game, you still have to learn the game as an individual and keep helping people around you, that’s how I look at it,” he added.
