Former India batter and current Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani feels Gautam Gambhir should let Rishabh Pant play his natural game in the upcoming 5-match Test series against England, beginning from June 20. The young wicket-keeper has been given the responsibility of vice-captain after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin retired from the format recently. Filling in for the names mentioned is difficult but Team India have players like Pant to bank on.
Pant has been going through a rough patch - his performance in the IPL 2025 as the most expensive player in the league's history did not go as planned and he did not have a good time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia earlier this year as well. However, he is still one of the best for India when it comes to red-ball cricket.
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Rishabh Pant’s numbers in SENA countries speak volumes about his potential as a Test batter — 1681 runs at an average of 37.81, with centuries in Australia, England, and South Africa. Only New Zealand remains unchecked on that list. In just five years since his debut, Pant has already played some of the most memorable overseas knocks by an Indian cricketer.
In India’s last Test in England, Pant smashed a blistering 146 off just 111 balls after coming in at 98 for 5 — his second century in England in as many tours. His introduction to Test cricket was just as dramatic — he opened his account with a six off only the second ball he faced in Nottingham seven years ago.
Ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series, Pant has looked in ominous touch during practice. At Lord’s, he reportedly dented the roof of a stand, and at Beckenham, his sixes had residents in the vicinity ducking for cover.
Former India batter and current Delhi Capitals head coach, Hemang Badani, hopes this is the Rishabh Pant who shows up in the Test match next week — free-spirited and fearless, not the overly cautious vice-captain weighed down by expectations.
"I genuinely hope it doesn't change one bit. I think he is somebody who has found the right balance of attacking stroke-making and defensive stroke-making in this cricket. So I don't see any reason why you should try and change that," Badani told Hindustan Times.
"It's important that someone like Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, has a chat with him and speaks to him and says, 'Rishabh tu apna game khel.' Don't think too hard about captaincy, vice captaincy, you're the second in command, none of that."
"There is a certain way that you've played over the years and that has worked well for you. And I think it will work well for us if he does that again, because he is a batter who comes to the bat at times when the second new ball is due," Badani added.
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