Virat Kohli at The Other End Helped Rishabh Pant Bat More Responsibly – Nasser Hussain

London: India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who was going through a lean patch in the Test series against England, got back among the runs at the Oval on Sunday during the 4th Test as he scored a fifty. The swashbuckling Pant was not his usual self where he smacks them all around the park, but was a little more reserved and choosy with the kind of shots he played. Former English skipper Nasser Hussain seemed to be impressed by the young India wicketkeeper and feels Virat Kohli played a major part in it.

Hussain feels it it is because Kohli was in the middle when Pant walked in was a major reason why he batted that way. The Englishman also reckoned that had Pant danced down the track, Kohli would certainly give him a stare.

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“It was also noticeable how much more responsibly Rishabh Pant batted, and it helped him that the guy at the other end when he came in was Virat Kohli. If Pant had danced down the track early on and slapped it to cover, Kohli would have given him a glare or worse,” Hussain wrote in his coloumn for DailyMail.

The former English captain now feels that Pant is capable of batting in more than one style. “Pant showed he is capable of batting in more than one style. And in fairness, he’s done it before. At Chennai earlier this year, he sat on England’s bowlers before getting stuck into Ben Stokes and Jimmy Anderson with the new ball,” he added.

Meanwhile, England’s under-fire opening pair made a confident start after an indomitable Shadul Thakur and a calm Rishabh Pant ensured a 367-run lead for India as the fourth Test entered an engrossing home stretch. Haseeb Hameed (43 batting, 85 balls) and Rory Burns (31 batting, 109 balls) put on 77 runs in 32 overs on a placid track that showed little signs of wear and tear after Thakur (60 off 72 balls) and Pant (50 off 107 balls) helped India put on a commendable 466 in their second essay.