Pant ready to step up for Indians

NEW DELHI: India’s Rishabh Pant has grown a reputation as a batsman who can whack the white ball pretty hard and the 20-yearold reckons he would need only minor adjustments to his technique to excel in Test matches in England.

The Delhi stumper-batsman’s maiden Test call-up was a reward for his four half-centuries in five innings for India A in the UK.

In the absence of Wriddhiman Saha, who missed the tour with a shoulder injury, Pant and Dinesh Karthik will vie for the wicketkeeper’s role when the five-match series gets underway on August 1 in Birmingham, and while Karthik’s experience might eventually clinch it for the 33-year-old, Pant says he is ready to step up.

“There isn’t too much difference between white ball and red ball cricket,” the happy-go-lucky cricketer, who has played four T20 Internationals for India but is yet to debut in Tests or ODIs, told the Indian cricket board website.

“There is very little difference, like you have to be more selective with your shots. With the field placement (in Tests), you can take your time because you have five days to play...”

Following his India A outings, Pant feels he now has a better understanding of English conditions and the swinging Duke balls, which would test the technique of India’s batsmen who are unaccustomed to exaggerated movement of the ball.

Pant is trying to add another gear to his natural swashbuckling batting and India A coach Rahul Dravid has no doubt that the youngster can bat according to the demand of the long format.

“On this (UK) trip, we challenged him a lot to bat according to the situation,” former India captain Dravid told the board’s website earlier this week.

“He showed that he could bat differently. He has the temperament and skills to bat differently.”