Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has urged Rishabh Pant to play according to the situation in the upcoming five-match Test series against England.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has faced severe criticism in recent times for his performance, especially for his shot selection.
Stupid, stupid, stupid – Sunil Gavaskar
Legendary Sunil Gavaskar had openly called his shot selection ‘stupid’ after he lost his wicket playing an unorthodox shot during the Boxing Day Test against Australia last December.
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“Stupid, stupid, stupid. You’ve got two fielders there, and you still go for that, you’ve missed the previous shot. And look where you’ve been caught. That is a stupid shot,” Gavaskar had said on-air.
Rishabh Pant struggled in IPL 2025
Pant’s struggle with the bat in the recently concluded IPL 2025 only made things worse for him. While he ended his dismal campaign with a blazing century against eventual winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he struggled throughout the tournament.
In 13 innings, he managed to score only 269 runs. Of those 269 runs, 118 runs came in one innings. He will be eyeing a better performance in the upcoming Test series against England. With the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retiring from Tests, Rishabh Pant is one of the most experienced batters in the Indian team, and the onus will be on him to deliver with the bat.
I did not like what I saw of him in Australia – Sourav Ganguly’s message for Rishabh Pant
As Rishabh Pant gear up for the challenging series, he has received a piece of advice from Sourav Ganguly. Talking to RevSportz, the former cricketer mentioned Rishabh Pant’s poor performance in Australia last season.
Ganguly pointed out that Pant played just too many shots in Australia and swung at every ball. He urged Pant to be cautious in English conditions and show fight. The legendary cricketer stated that while Pant is a natural stroke-maker, he needs to adapt and play according to the situation.
“I did not like what I saw of him in Australia. Too many shots. Just too many shots. He was just swinging at every ball, and that’s not how you bat in conditions where the ball was moving around a bit. He needs to show fight,” said Ganguly.
“He has a very good defence. That’s what I want to see. I want him to fight and grind down. Be ugly. Look ugly. But don’t swing at every ball and give it away. I know he is a stroke-maker and that’s his strength, but then he will have to adapt and play accordingly,” he added.
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