Rishabh Pant’s keeping has been outstanding, it is not easy in England: Kamran Akmal 

Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has praised young Indian keeper Rishabh Pant for his glovework in the first Test against England in Nottingham. According to Akmal, keeping wickets is a very difficult job in England but Rishabh Pant has been outstanding.

Rishabh Pant has proved to be a safe pair behind the stumps in the ongoing Test against England. He was involved in the first three dismissals in the second innings as England’s top order fell caught behind.

Rishabh Pant also took the catch to send back centurion Joe Root off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling. The 23-year-old keeper grabbed three crucial catches in the first innings as well.

Complimenting Rishabh Pant for his neat work behind the stumps, Akmal said on his YouTube channel:

“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."

With the bat, the left-hander scored a quickfire 25 off 20 in the first innings. He could have a key role to play in the second innings as well, with India looking to chase a target of 209 on Day 5.

💯 Stunning Root century1️⃣1️⃣ Wickets🦁 All results possible on Day 5Full Highlights: https://t.co/rlSGTS0AcX🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/EW7LoNxqC5

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 8, 2021

Rishabh Pant plays his own brand of cricket: Salman Butt

While there were mixed reactions to Rishabh Pant’s breezy cameo in the first innings, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has backed the keeper-batsman's approach. According to Butt, Pant must stick to playing his natural game because doing so gives him the best chance to succeed.

Rishabh Pant smashed England pacer Ollie Robinson for a four and a six in the first innings before chipping one straight to short cover. Reacting to the knock, Butt had said on his YouTube channel:

“Rishabh Pant’s 25 runs were important. His 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.”

🎥 After a fantastic 5⃣-wicket haul on Day 4 of the first #ENGvIND Test, @Jaspritbumrah93 has his name inscribed on the Honours Board for the 2⃣nd time at Trent Bridge. 👏 👏#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/znKWnwOCUz

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 8, 2021

Team India will resume their second innings on 52 for 1 with Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara unbeaten on 12 each. They need a further 157 runs to clinch the first Test.