Mark Wood opined that bowlers must stay calm and unpredictable against Rishabh Pant, or else the Indian batter will dominate them.
England pacer Mark Wood opened up on the challenge of bowling to Rishabh Pant, describing the left-hander as one of the toughest batters he has faced. The Indian wicketkeeper has scored 1260 runs in 16 Tests against England, averaging 46.66 with five centuries.
Wood stressed that Pant rarely allows bowlers any margin for error. According to Wood, the key to restricting Pant lies in maintaining calm and mixing up deliveries rather than becoming predictable.
“I think you’ve got to hold your nerve. That’s basically what I would say, because I think you have to be so unpredictable that it plays into his hands. He can just stand there and wait for anything difficult. But if you’re the same all the time, then he’s got such a good eye, he sort of hits it where he wants,” Wood said on the Stick to Cricket podcast as quoted from Sky Sports.
“So I think you’ve got to have a mixture of holding your nerve with maybe the odd ball that’s a bit unpredictable — whether it’s a slower ball, or you might change up with a really high bouncer, or something slightly different,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the Asia Cup after fracturing his right foot during the England Test series. The incident occurred in Manchester when a reverse sweep attempt against Chris Woakes deflected onto his ankle.
READ ALSO | Sanju Samson Can Bat Lower in Asia Cup 2025, Confirms Childhood Coach Gomez
The wicketkeeper retired hurt on Day 1 but returned the next day to score a gritty half-century despite limping. Pant was later replaced by Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps for the rest of the match.
Dafabet
- Maximum Cricket Cashback 10%
- India Super League Cashback
- Common wallet 100% deposit bonus up to ₹8,000 !
Last Updated on August 27, 2025
Senior Sports Copywriter
