Rishabh Pant once again showcased his fearless style of batting during India's first Test of the five-match series against England at Headingley. The 27-year-old played fantastic shots in both of India's innings and ended up scoring twin tons, becoming just the seventh Indian player to do so. He also became the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter and the second wicketkeeper-batter overall to achieve the feat.
However, despite his brilliant display with the bat, Pant was criticized for his 'extremely risky' style of batting by legendary South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers. The latter stated that there were at least 20 occasions where Pant could have gotten dismissed before even reaching the 30-run mark in either inning.
"He plays with extreme risk. It's sometimes going to frustrate the living daylights out of you. I can count 20 occasions where he could have gotten out for under 30 in both innings. But he didn't, and that's the most important thing. He is a player that takes it to the opposition, and 99 out of 100 times, those are your successful sports people," de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
De Villiers was stunned seeing Pant's batting against England
De Villiers further remarked that he was left surprised by Pant's batting on multiple occasions during the match, but also praised the Indian wicketkeeper-batter for getting the desired results through his fearless approach.
"I was on the couch, going, Rishabh, what are you doing? It's not the time and place for this. But look at the results. That's all that matters. It is a huge shame they couldn't cross the line because he deserved to be the Man of the Match," de Villiers added.
Meanwhile, the former South Africa batter believes that there is no need for India to panic after losing the series opener against England in Leeds. He also doesn't want the Men in Blue to be worrying too much about the opinions of others.
"Lots of questions all of a sudden. I know there are a lot of media people around, writing the big headlines, 'we need change'. I don't think it's time to panic yet. It is a five-Test match series," de Villiers stated.
The second match of the Test series between England and India is set to commence from July 2 and it will be contested at Edgbaston in Birmingham. On one hand, Shubman Gill & Co. will be desperate to make a comeback while on the other hand, England will be looking to increase the deficit and win their second consecutive match of the series.