Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak heaped praise on wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s century on Day 2 of the first Test against England at Headingley.
Kotak stated that Rishabh Pant is known for his aggressive batting style but added that the left-handed batter can adapt and defend when needed.
Rishabh Pant scored 134 off 178 balls, including six sixes and 12 fours, as India posted a first-innings total of 471.
He shared a 209-run stand with captain Shubman Gill, who made 147 off 227 deliveries. India were in a strong position at 430/3 but suffered a collapse in the middle and lower order.
The Men in Blue lost their final seven wickets for just 41 runs, allowing England a way back into the match. In response, England reached 209/3 by stumps, trailing by 262 runs.
Sitanshu Kotak said that Rishabh Pant has the ability to make his own plans at the crease. Kotak added that Pant takes full control of his game plan and executes it with confidence.
“Rishabh Pant is someone who makes his own plans. He decides how to play and then he goes for it,” Kotak said at the press conference after stumps.
“This innings was a little different than what you normally see from him. But that’s his plan. Just because he plays aggressive cricket doesn’t mean he cannot play defensive," he added.
After Australia Tour, Shubman Gill Made Adjustments - Sitanshu Kotak
Kotak revealed that Shubman Gill made changes to his batting after a poor outing during the Australia tour. Kotak said that he watched Gill in the nets ahead of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
“After Australia (tour) he has thought (about) certain things which he implemented. Because after (the) Australia (tour) and England series (followed by) Champions Trophy and then we had IPL, I wouldn’t say that I had a lot of time to do things (with Gill),” Kotak said.
“But obviously, he worked on certain things and as soon as I saw him in the nets, I did speak to him that ‘you made certain changes’ and he said yes. A lot of credit to him for analysing what he needs to do and I think he did it really well,” he added.
We Were Expecting Better Than That - Sitanshu Kotak on India's Batting Collapse
Shubman Gill had a disappointing outing during the Australia Test series, scoring just 93 runs in five innings at an average of 18.60. However, he bounced back impressively in the first Test against England at Headingley.
Sitanshu Kotak expressed disappointment over the team’s sudden collapse after reaching 430 for 3. Kotak said that it wasn’t just the lower order that failed but also the set batters. He admitted that the team had hoped to post a bigger total.
“It was a bit of a collapse, I would say, because batsmen were also there. From 430 for three to 471 all out, batsmen also got out in it, isn’t it? So, it wasn’t only the last five; it was a bit of a collapse. We were expecting better than that, but it can happen," he said.
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