ENG vs IND | Pant deserves credit for his display in the first Test, reckons Salman Butt
Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt stated that Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant displayed great talent behind the stumps in the first Test against England at Trent Bridge. He also added that Mohammed Siraj is a future prospect as he provides wickets without giving away too much.
Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was widely criticized for his technique behind the stumps. But with time, Pant has progressed a lot as a keeper and now he is pretty safe with the gloves. In the Australian tour, the southpaw was in the form of his life with the bat and from there on, he has carried forward the confidence to his keeping as well and pulled out some stunners behind the wickets while keeping for India be it in the home series against England or the first Test at Trent Bridge.
The 23-year-old was brilliant behind the stumps in the Test series opener and pocketed some good catches in the game. Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt praised Pant’s glovework at Trent Bridge and stated it's never easy to keep in England.
“Rishabh Pant deserves a lot of credit. It is very difficult to keep wickets in England and he has been outstanding. He took catches to send back Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley as well. It was not easy, some balls even fell in front of him. But he was up to the task and provided the bowlers the support they needed behind the wickets," Butt said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, reported HT.
Not only with the gloves, but Rishabh Pant also scored a quick 25 off 20 balls to build a crucial partnership along with KL Rahul for the fifth wicket in India's first innings. But added that the small knock of 25 put the English bowlers on the back foot.
“Rishabh Pant’s 25 runs were important. He plays his own brand of cricket. If it comes off, it will look spectacular and people will glorify him. Under pressure, if you play freely and the ball hits the middle, then you look a million dollars but if you get dismissed then it can be otherwise. People will question your tactics but I think he did the right thing.
"This is his natural style of playing and this is how he creates impact. Rishabh Pant provided impetus to the innings. His 25 may have been a small knock but it put England bowlers slightly on the backfoot," he signed off.
Mohammed Siraj has been shining for India ever since the Australia tour. He had ended up as the third-highest wicket-taker in the series Down Under with 13 scalps in three matches. The Hyderabad-born fast bowler bagged three wickets in the first Test against England. The Pakistan cricket expert was highly impressed by Siraj's performance against the Three Lions.
“Mohammed Siraj may be relatively inexperienced at the Test level but he has played a lot of first-class cricket and has been on A tours as well. The way he bowls, it doesn’t seem like he is a newcomer in Test cricket.
"He knows what lines to bowl. He is young and has pace as well. The exuberance of youth can be seen when he runs into bowl. Siraj has challenged the batsmen, bent his back and bowled bouncers. He is tall and strong. Siraj is definitely a brilliant future prospect. He is providing the team with wickets and not giving away too much," Butt added.
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