"Rishabh Pant seems to have learned from his mistakes against South Africa" - Sunil Gavaskar after IND vs ENG ODIs

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar was impressed with the way Rishabh Pant batted in the third ODI against England in Manchester on Sunday (July 17). The 24-year-old hit an unbeaten 125 off just 113 balls as India beat England 2-1 in the ODI series.

A standout feature of the knock was Pant's willingness to dig deep and absorb pressure when he was new to the crease. According to Gavaskar, this wasn't the case during the T20I series against South Africa last month. Pant, who was the Indian captain back then, was dismissed for low scores while trying to play rash shots.

Speaking to Sports Tak, Gavaskar explained how well Rishabh Pant read the situation when India were in deep trouble and gradually took the game away from England. He said:

"Rishabh Pant seems to have learned from his mistakes against South Africa. He chased balls outside off stump to slog them over the leg side then, but the way he batted with responsibility yesterday shows how well he paced his innings."

Gavaskar added:

"The way he smashed a flurry of boundaries towards the end showed that he is someone who can absorb pressure and then attack."

While he is proving to be a reliable batter in ODIs, Rishabh Pant hasn't yet managed to replicate a similar kind of maturity in T20Is. However, Gavaskar feels that if the team shows patience with 24-year-old, he will find the template to be successful in the shortest format as well. He stated:

"We will need to wait and see (whether Pant is able to replicate this form in T20Is). He might have found the right template to play white ball cricket."

Gavaskar continued:

"In T20s you have to start playing from third gear and move into fifth gear, so it is very different from ODIs. We need to be patient with Pant and realize that he will win us games when he is set, while sometimes there will be failures."

---

We shouldn't forget that Rishabh Pant made his Test debut just four years ago: Sunil Gavaskar

In just four years' time, Rishabh Pant has become virtually indispensable in Tests for India.

He is on his way to becoming the best wicketkeeper the country has ever produced in the longest format, with multiple valuable knocks in testing conditions. However, when it comes to white-ball cricket, there are still a few questions over whether Pant can reach the levels his potential has promised.

Gavaskar believes that the southpaw will become better with time just like Hardik Pandya, whose batting has matured with age and added responsibility. Pandya notably scored a vital 71 and forged a 133-run partnership with Pant in the third ODI against England.

Gavaskar stated:

"We shouldn't forget that he made his Test debut just four years ago. He is just 23 [24] and in that age there is a bit of adrenaline rush that tends the batters to play rash shots."

He concluded:

"But look at home Hardik Pandya used to play when he was 23, and look at how matured his batting has become now. The way Pant showed maturity yesterday should make fans happy."

Pant will look to do well in the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies and nail down his place in India's 2022 T20 World Cup squad.