The former Australia captain believes that Rishabh Pant’s absence will have an impact on India’s batting performance in the upcoming Test series against Australia.
Former Australian cricket captain Ian Chappell believes that the absence of Rishabh Pant will make it difficult for India to score freely in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Test series. Pant was one of India’s standout performers when they defeated Australia in 2021, owing largely to his aggressive approach against pacers. However, the wicket-keeper batsman will be unavailable for the series, which begins on February 9, due to injuries sustained in a car accident. In his absence, KS Bharat is expected to keep wickets for the hosts, with Ishan Kishan named as a back-up.
The Indian pitches have traditionally been quite helpful to spinners, and Chappell wrote that the top Indian batters must stop Nathan Lyon from picking up wickets at regular intervals.
“One of the most important tasks for Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara will be to establish mental superiority over Lyon. If Australia can’t rely on Lyon to take wickets at a reasonable rate, their bowling will be heavily reliant on the “big three,” he explained.
