"At times, I feel he even gets beaten purposely" - Saba Karim lauds Rishabh Pant's century in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Former India player Saba Karim has lauded Rishabh Pant for scoring an enterprising century in the first Test against England. He noted that the Indian vice-captain even gives the impression that he gets beaten purposely.

Pant scored 134 runs off 178 balls as India posted 471 in their first innings on Day 2 in Leeds on Saturday, June 21. England reached 209/3 in their first innings at Stumps, trailing the visitors by 262 runs.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Saba praised Pant for his entertaining knock, highlighting that the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter was seemingly getting beaten intentionally at times.

"How to describe his knock? He is an incredible player. His thought process is priceless. Since he has made his entry in Test cricket, he has made up his mind that he will go to the ground as an entertainer only, whether he is batting or wicketkeeping, that he has to make his own identity," the former India wicketkeeper-batter said.

"If you watch this knock minutely, you realize many times that the defense is compulsory. At the start of his innings, his strike rate was very low. We see that very few times. It seems like it was on purpose, and then he would jump out and play big shots. At times, I feel he even gets beaten purposely so that the bowler feels he has bowled a good ball, and Ben Stokes gives him one more over," he added.

Rishabh Pant joined Shubman Gill (147 off 227) in the middle when India were 221/3 at the fall of Yashasvi Jaiswal's (101 off 159) wicket. The duo added 209 runs for the fourth wicket before the visitors lost their last seven wickets for just 41 runs.

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"I have not seen anyone toying with the bowlers like that in international cricket" - Saba Karim on Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant's 134-run knock was studded with 12 fours and six sixes. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Saba Karim noted that Rishabh Pant virtually toys with the opposition bowlers and has a fantastic defense.

"I have not seen anyone toying with the bowlers like that in international cricket. He has a rare ability. We ignore a very important aspect. He has an extremely tight defense. You cannot play attacking shots in red-ball cricket if your defense is not tight," he said.

The former India selector added that Pant's defensive ability allows him to take the attack to the bowlers whenever he desires.

"If you play attacking shots in that case, it is to survive because you aren't sure about your defense. Rishabh Pant has shown repeatedly, whether it's in Indian conditions or SENA countries, that his defense is close to the body and under the eye. He is fully competent technically, and that's why he attacks whenever he wishes," Saba observed.

To conclude, Saba Karim noted that Virat Kohli, who had been taking Test cricket forward for many years, has retired from the format. He opined that Rishabh Pant will be the one to draw people to play Test cricket now.