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India will miss Rishabh Pant in the Test series, says Ian Chappell
By SMCS - Feb 7, 2023 1:00 pm
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Former Australia cricketer Ian Chappell has said that India will “really miss” their wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, Pant is recovering from the injuries he got in a car crash in December 2022. He is unlikely to return to action for at least the next few months as well as he recently underwent surgery to treat several injuries too.

Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant failed to scored a century

“India are really going to really miss Rishabh Pant. The Australians will be happy. He is a counter attacker, the guy who keep you awake are guys who score quickly and changes game in one session. Pant was one such player,” Chappell said during an interaction organised by Star Sports.

“Australia should not get carried away by left and right combination. India have got one in Ashwin and Jadeja who are both very good bowlers. Agar is a guy, who averages 40. If he is picked for few runs down the order, there would be a temptation to play him as Cameron Green can’t bowl. But that theory is rubbish,” again said Ian Chappell. “If Agar is not among your two best spinners, then don’t pick him. Bowlers are there to pick wickets. It is up to batters to get runs.”

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Meanwhile, he also urged the Australian side to be “proactive” against India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He said: “Why is Ashwin likely to be the threat? Because he is a smart cricketer. Ashwin will always be a problem.”

Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin

“Now, if you let him bowl the way he wants to bowl, you are in trouble. He will be a threat to Australia throughout. They have got to be proactive,” Ian Chappell said. “You got to be thinking about being proactive. If you are not dictating terms, then you are in trouble. You have to get singles and rotate the strike. He (Ashwin) then has to change (his strategy against) whom he is bowling to then.”

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“You judge Lyon by how many runs are right handers scoring against him on the on-side. If there are lot of singles, doubles, fours being scored on on side by right handers, then he is bowling too straight. One thing that Lyon could try and do better is to curve the ball away from right handers. Really good off-spinners curve the ball away from right handers and that opens up opportunities for batters to hit on the off side. And then when you turn it back in, you get the chance to get bowled, bat-pad, leg before. For India, it is important that they don’t let Lyon dominate them. If Lyon dominates, it becomes easy for Pat Cummins to rotate his fast bowlers and he doesnt have to bowl both speedsters from both ends,” Ian Chappell concluded.