Former South African wicketkeeper-batter Mark Boucher has praised Rishabh Pant, describing him as a “dangerous player”.
Speaking on Star Sports, Boucher said that South Africa would need to be smart in order to keep Pant quiet.
“Rishabh Pant is a very dangerous player,” he said ahead of the start of the IND–SA Test series. “We’ve seen him change games in the space of a few hours. South Africa will know that, and they need to prepare well against him. If they are smart, they’ll play on his emotions a bit. Also, they must understand what he wants to do and how he wants to dominate.”
Pant will be making his comeback to international cricket for the first time since the England tour. The 28-year-old has spent time on the sidelines recovering from the toe injury he sustained during the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester.
In the recently concluded two-match series against South Africa A, Pant made a strong impression, scoring a match-winning knock of 90 for India A in the second innings of the first unofficial Test, followed by another fifty-plus score in the second match.
Against South Africa, the left-handed batter has played three Test matches, scoring 186 runs at an average of 37.20, including a century.
Boucher also offered insight into how South Africa can counter Pant.
“It’s not defensive to put a couple of boundary riders out to Rishabh Pant and make him really work hard for his runs. It’s not something he isn’t used to doing, but the way he plays, he wants the scoreboard to be ticking all the time. You can put a slight halt to that and frustrate him a bit. So they need to do their homework properly on him, which I’m sure they probably already have,” the former South Africa coach added.
Pant will be in action when India take on South Africa in the first Test at the Eden Gardens, which starts on 14 November.
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