Rishabh Pant's childhood coach Devender Sharma attributed the wicketkeeper-batter's success in England to his uniqueness of having some 'extra time'.
After an underwhelming tour to Australia marked by poor shot selection, Rishabh Pant has begun the series against England in an emphatic fashion, scoring a hundred against England at Leeds to showcase his extraordinary talent.
Devender Sharma, one of Pant's childhood coaches alongside the late Tarak Sinha, attributed the resurgence to the work the wicketkeeper batter has put in on his defence and shot selection.
"After he failed in Australia, he made a lot of changes to his defensive techniques and curbed his natural instincts to play risky shots." Sharma noted.
"Before he went to England, we discussed his defense because his Australia tour didn't go well. We decided he would play fewer strokes and focus more on batting longer there. England's conditions are different as there will always be seam movement," he added.
The effort Pant has put in were evident in the dazzling array of shots he played en route to a magnificent 134 in the first Test
During his knock, Pant also went past Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper in Test cricket, bringing up his seventh ton on the second day of the series opener.
This is Pant's second Test hundred in England, having scored one during the team's last tour.
The coach attributed Pant's success in England's challenging conditions to his unique ability to "bat with some extra time" and play from a "slightly deeper position."
"He scored a hundred last time as well. He has a lot of time when he bats, which is a key aspect that makes him successful in England. Playing in the second line gives him a significant advantage," the coach remarked.
Pant struck a six off the first ball of the 100th over of India's first innings, clearing the fence off Shoaib Bashir to bring up the milestone.
He completed 3,000 Test runs during his innings and has 15 fifties in 44 matches and averages nearly 44.
Sharma sees Pant as an all-format player.
"I feel Rishabh is a player who can play all three formats. He isn't in the Indian T20 team right now, but I believe he will make a come back though he has had a poor IPL. If you're a good player, you can perform (in any format(."
It was Pant's first century since September 2024 when he scored 109 against Bangladesh in Chennai.
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