Ind vs Eng: Must be ready to grab chances against 'extremely talented' Pant, says Root
Feb 23, 2021
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], February 23 : England captain Joe Root praised "extremely talented" Rishabh Pant and said the India wicket-keeper batsman plays "extraordinary shots".
Pant has been in great form recently and with his fearless batting, the player can turn around the outcome of a match. Aware of the threat Pant poses, Root said his side will have to capitalise on the chance they will get in the match to have the youngster dismissed.
"He (Pant) is a fine player and plays some extraordinary shots. He makes it very difficult for some bowlers to bowl at him. But more than anything, (it is on us as to) can we keep him quiet and can we make it difficult for him to really take us on and find ways of either getting him off the strike or get him out. Rishabh is extremely talented and he has got a great game but he will give you a chance and we just got to be ready to take that when it comes," Root said during the virtual press conference on Tuesday.
India had defeated England by 317 runs in the second Test and now both teams are getting ready to battle it out in the day-night Test at the newly-built Motera Stadium.
Lately, England has opted to keep either James Anderson or Stuart Broad in the playing XI. On this tour, Anderson played the first game while Broad found a spot in the second game.
When asked if there is a chance of them playing together in the third Test, Root said: "Yes, they have got a chance. It is a great selection headache to have and to have all of these bowlers performing and giving us variety. We feel that we can pick a team that can best suit the conditions."
Root went on to further praise the experienced duo. "The records that they (Anderson and Broad) have and the things that they produce, especially in the last couple of years, is the reason why they are up there with the top three bowlers in the world. They are consistently getting better and the older they get, they are using that experience to their advantage. I am sure there will be opportunities where they will get to play together in the near future and much further down the line as well. The records that they set will be very difficult to surpass," he said.
