Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar advised India's young wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant to get familiar with the conditions before attacking the bowlers in the remaining two Test matches of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Rishabh Pant is currently preparing for the Boxing Day Test along with Team India at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne.
Pant who played the match-winning knock during India's one of the most iconic clashes Test win is currently struggling in the ongoing five-Test match series against Australia. He has managed scores of 37, 1, 21, 28, and 9 in his five innings across three Tests so far. India's star batter is known for his aggressive approach in the longest format of the game to surprise the opponent with a counterattack.
"What Rishabh Pant has to do, like everybody else, respect the first half an hour; respect a little bit when he gets in there, whatever the position, unless, of course, India is 525 for 3; then he can tee off," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Commenting on the challenges posed by Australian bowlers, Gavaskar added, "... they get the ball to angle across. Pat Cummins and even (Josh) Hazlewood give him a little bit of a problem; Scott Boland will give him a little bit of a problem because Boland bowls around that area as well."
After three Test matches, the five-Test match series between India and Australia is currently levelled at 1-1 as the third Test match at Gabba ended in a draw because of rain. Both India and Australia will look to win the upcoming fourth Test match to take the lead before the last match of the series. The ongoing red-ball series is important for both teams to seal their berth for the World Test Championship (WTC) final scheduled to take place in England next year.
