Don’t think Pant should go in as a specialist batter: Shastri

Hours after India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate indicated that wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant could play as a specialist batter in the upcoming fourth Test in Manchester, former head coach Ravi Shastri said he is against such an arrangement as that could put Pant in further risk of aggravating the injury if he doesn’t don the big gloves.

Pant is still recovering from the finger injury sustained on the opening day of the third Test at Lord’s and was unable to continue behind the stumps for the remainder of the match. Dhruv Jurel took over the wicketkeeping duties during England’s innings, while Pant managed to bat through the discomfort, scoring 74 and 9 in India’s two innings.

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On Thursday, ten Doeschate revealed that Pant will bat before the Manchester game, but insisted that keeping wickets remains the final hurdle in his recovery process.

“He will bat in Manchester before the Test. I don’t think you’re gonna keep Rishabh out of the Test no matter what. He batted with quite a lot of pain in the 3rd Test, and it’s only going to get easier on his finger,” ten Doeschate said.

The former Dutch international also said that the team wants to avoid a repeat of the situation at Lord’s, where they had to change keepers mid-innings. “Keeping is the last part of the process. We need to make sure that he can keep — we don’t want to go through that again where we have to replace the keeper halfway through an innings,” he added.

The southpaw sat out training on Thursday in an effort to rest the injured finger and maximise his chances of recovery ahead of the Manchester Test.

“But he rested today, was trying to give the finger as long as possible, and hopefully, he’s good to go in Manchester in the first session. He is in the equation, but I mean if he’s fit, he plays the next Test and does both,” ten Doeschate said.

Don’t think Pant should go in as a specialist batter: Shastri

Shastri, however believes the Pant shouldn’t play as a specialist batter unless he’s sure of taking up keeping duties for the match starting on July 23.

“I don’t think he (Pant) should go in as a specialist batter if he can’t keep because he’ll have to field, and if he fields, that’ll be worse. It’s because with the gloves, at least there’s some protection. Without gloves, if he gets something that stings him there, then it won’t be very good. It’ll worsen the injury,” said Shastri in a video posted on ICC’s Instagram account on Friday.

After India suffered a 22-run defeat to go 1-2 down in the five-match series, captain Shubman Gill had said Pant will be fit to play in Manchester. But going by ten Doeschate’s update on Thursday, it seems that the team management is still unsure of their plans about Pant.

Shastri felt that the team shouldn’t take a partially-fit Pant into the fourth game, and allow him to rest and return fresh at The Oval.

“Also, you’ve got to see if it’s a break. If it’s a break or a fracture, I don’t know, I’m not part of the dressing room, then I think he’d rather rest and come fully fit at The Oval. But he won’t get a substitute. Now, they will know that he has been injured.

“When you pick the team for the next Test, he’ll have to keep and he’ll have to bat. He can’t do one of the two. It’s better if he’s fully fit. If it’s not a crack, I think he’ll play. If it’s not a crack, there’s still about eight or nine days, he should be okay,” concluded Shastri.