IND vs ENG | Rishabh Pant doesn’t have the technique to succeed in English conditions, declares Salman Butt

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has come down hard on wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant's batting technique after his twin failures in the Headingley Test which India lost by an innings and 76 runs against England on Saturday.

Pant has played all three Tests of the series so far and managed scores of 25, 37, 22, 2 and 1. The 23-year-old is the fourth-highest run-getter in Test cricket this year but has struggled in the last three games under the swinging English conditions.

Pant is still averaging over 43 in the format in 2021 despite his repeated failures on the ongoing England tour. 

“Rishabh Pant doesn’t have the technique to succeed in English conditions. He cannot just walk down the track to bowlers. He can survive for a while like this or may play one or two good knocks.

"But, Rishabh Pant cannot become a successful Test batsman playing this way. He needs to develop some patience and also work on his defensive technique,” Butt said.

The former left-handed Pakistani batsman urged Pant to improve his defensive technique against the Dukes ball, which moves in the air and off the seam and for a longer duration. 

“Pant has a lot of shots but his defensive mechanism is not strong enough for Test cricket, especially in such conditions.

"In India, he can taste success, and Australia as well, because the ball doesn’t swing a lot.

"But wherever the ball swings or seams, Rishabh Pant will find it very difficult to tackle the challenges with the kind of technique he currently possesses,” he added.

India went 1-0 up after a stunning 151-run win at Lord's in the 2nd Test but they have been brought down to earth after the innings defeat inside 4 days in the third Test in Leeds.

The 4th Test will start at The Oval in London from Thursday, September 2.