New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen opined that they are well aware of the threat the young Indian wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant, who has the ability to take the game from the opposition in no time. Jurgensen said New Zealand is wary of the impact that Pant has been able to have while batting in the middle-order for the World No. 1 Test side. However, Shane Jurgensen believes Pant’s positive approach will bring opportunities for their bowlers to dominate if they managed to convert the chances.
The Australian tactician, who has been with the New Zealand squad in Southampton, said he would want his bowlers to stay calm and execute their plans well against Rishabh Pant. Pant replaced Wriddhiman Saha after India lost the first Test in Adelaide and then he played a brilliant knock of 97 that helped swing the momentum in India’s favor in the drawn Sydney Test.
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Pant followed it up with a heroic 89 not out helped India win the 4th Test and breach Australia’s Gabba fortess. At home, he dominated the England bowling attack in a 4-Test series which India won 3-1. He will now be looking to help the Indian team to end their ICC title drought at the World Test Championship final, starting June 18 in Southampton.
During a recent chat with The Telegraph, New Zealand bowling coach said, “Well, Pant is an extremely dangerous player who can change the game on its head. We saw how well he did it against Australia and England. He’s extremely positive-minded, but with that comes potentially the opportunity to take his wicket.”
He further added, “Our bowlers need to execute well, stay calm and make it as difficult as possible for Pant to score runs. He’s certainly a free-flowing batsman and a tough one to stop, which we should keep in mind.”
Meanwhile, the New Zealand bowling coach was also seen sjowering praises praise at India’s bowling attack, saying it will pose a big challenge to Kane Williamson & his men. India picked as many as 6 fast bowlers, including their senior trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammed Shami. Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Umesh Yadav are part of the pace attack while Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are backup spin options to Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin.
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Talking about India’s bowling attack, New Zealand bowling coach said, “It’s a challenging bowling attack that India have. A lot of options are available for them. It’ll be a very, very stiff challenge we could face from Bumrah to Shardul, who’s an all-rounder and has done well in Australia too. There’s Mohammed Siraj and even their spinners, who can spin it both ways. It’s a group of formidable, outstanding Test bowlers.”
New Zealand will be locking horns with England in a 2-match Test series in June before they return to Southamtpon for the WTC Final.
