December 24, 2024: Ahead of the fourth Test against Australia at Melbourne, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma expressed confidence in Rishabh Pant’s ability to come good in the remainder of the series, despite a quiet run with the bat so far. With the series level at 1-1, Pant’s aggressive batting has been seen as a key factor in India’s quest for victory, especially given his past successes in Australia.
Pant, who has been instrumental in India’s recent triumphs, has struggled somewhat in the ongoing series, accumulating just 96 runs in five innings at an average of 19.20, with a best score of 37. However, he has a strong record in Australia, having scored 720 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 48.00, including a memorable 159* in 2018 and a match-winning 89 at Brisbane* during India’s historic 2020-21 series win.
In a pre-match press conference, Rohit downplayed any concerns about Pant’s form, emphasizing that there was no pressure on the wicketkeeper-batter. “No, there is no pressure. He has played only two or three Test matches here. He has been in good form recently. He has made good runs in India. He has a good record in Australia,” Rohit said, referring to Pant’s potential to turn things around.
Rohit also highlighted that it would be unfair to judge Pant, or other young players like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, based on just a couple of matches. “Our job here is to explain to them and tell them small things like match awareness, match situation. We talk to them about these things. I do not think we have to complicate their plans and thought process.”
The captain further noted that Pant is his own harshest critic. “Rishabh knows what his expectations are. He has a lot of expectations from himself. He is working hard on his game. I think he will do well in these two matches,” he concluded, suggesting that Pant’s talent and work ethic would eventually shine through in the remaining Tests.
Pant has been a standout performer in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, scoring 518 runs at an average of 37.00 and a strike rate of nearly 80, with a century and three fifties in 15 innings.
The fourth Test in Melbourne is a crucial one for India, and Pant’s aggressive style could provide the momentum India needs to gain the upper hand in the series. With the team backing him, all eyes will be on Pant to make his mark in the upcoming match.
India Squad for the Fourth and Fifth Tests:
- Rohit Sharma (C)
- Jasprit Bumrah (VC)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Abhimanyu Easwaran
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- KL Rahul
- Rishabh Pant (WK)
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Dhruv Jurel (WK)
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Mohd. Siraj
- Akash Deep
- Prasidh Krishna
- Harshit Rana
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Washington Sundar
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Tanush Kotian
