'He will go to the ground as an entertainer only...': Former India selector lauds Rishabh Pant's century in first Test against England

Former India cricketer Saba Karim lavished praise on Rishabh Pant for his century in the ongoing first Test match against England. He reckons that the wicketkeeper batter even gives the impression that he gets beaten purposely.

Rishabh Pant smashed 134 off 178 balls as India scored 471 runs in their first innings on Day 2 in Leeds. England managed to score 209/3 in their first innings at stumps. During their discussion on Sony Sports, Saba praised Pant for his knock against England.

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"How to describe his knock? He is an incredible player. His thought process is priceless. Since he has made his entry in Test cricket, he has made up his mind that he will go to the ground as an entertainer only, whether he is batting or wicketkeeping, that he has to make his own identity," the former India wicketkeeper-batter said.

"If you watch this knock minutely, you realize many times that the defense is compulsory. At the start of his innings, his strike rate was very low. We see that very few times. It seems like it was on purpose, and then he would jump out and play big shots. At times, I feel he even gets beaten purposely so that the bowler feels he has bowled a good ball, and Ben Stokes gives him one more over," he added.

The former India selector added that Pant's defensive ability allows him to take the attack to the bowlers whenever he desires.

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"I have not seen anyone toying with the bowlers like that in international cricket. He has a rare ability. We ignore a very important aspect. He has an extremely tight defense. You cannot play attacking shots in red-ball cricket if your defense is not tight," he said.

"If you play attacking shots in that case, it is to survive because you aren't sure about your defense. Rishabh Pant has shown repeatedly, whether it's in Indian conditions or SENA countries, that his defense is close to the body and under the eye. He is fully competent technically, and that's why he attacks whenever he wishes," Saba observed.

Pant joined Shubman Gill (147 off 227) in the middle when India were 221/3 after Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket. The duo added 209 for the fourth wicket before India lost their last seven wickets for just 41 runs.