WTC finale | Pant is extremely dangerous and tough to stop, cautions NZ bowling coach
New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen has cautioned that India's wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant is a dangerous player who is tough to stop, and it should be kept in mind when they play India in the WTC final. He also added that India have a great bowling line-up which is extremely potent.
Rishabh Pant has made heads turn with his remarkable form this year, which played a crucial role in India's series win Down Under. He carried on his golden run with the bat even in the home Test series against England and has emerged as a rising star for the team. He's the leading run-getter for India in Tests in 2021, and the fourth highest run-getter overall.
But it's the impact with which he plays that makes him the X-factor. He has the ability and chutzpah to put the pressure on the opposition's line-up and change the momentum of the game.
Kiwi bowling coach Shane Jurgensen is very well aware of the challenge that Pant possesses and admitted that the Delhite is an extremely dangerous batsman. However, Jurgensen asserted that Pant's attacking nature would also keep the Kiwi pacers in contest to take his wicket.
"Well, Pant is an extremely dangerous player who can change the game on its head. We saw how well he did it against Australia and England. He’s extremely positive-minded, but with that comes potentially the opportunity to take his wicket," Jurgensen told The Telegraph.
He suggested that the New Zealand bowlers will need to stay calm and execute well in order to keep the southpaw in check.
"Our bowlers need to execute well, stay calm and make it as difficult as possible for Pant to score runs. He’s certainly a free-flowing batsman and a tough one to stop, which we should keep in mind."
India also boast a phenomenal bowling attack consisting of pacers like Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohamed Siraj and Shardul Thakur, and quality spinners in the form of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Jurgensen termed India's bowling attack challenging to face.
"It’s a challenging bowling attack that India have. A lot of options are available for them. It’ll be a very, very stiff challenge we could face from (Jasprit) Bumrah to Shardul (Thakur), who’s an all-rounder and has done well in Australia too.
"There’s Mohammed Siraj and even their spinners, who can spin it both ways. It’s a group of formidable, outstanding Test bowlers."
Last time when India played New Zealand in a Test series, debutante Kyle Jamieson had them on the ropes as he scalped nine wickets in two Tests. The Kiwi bowling coach reckons it would be exciting to watch the lanky pacer in action against India again.
"I’m sure it’s going to be great to watch Kyle. His Test career too has been outstanding so far. He has got a great opportunity to prepare really well in the lead-up to the final, beginning with the two Tests versus England."