Team India’s attacking wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has stated that the team didn’t set any template as to how they will play in the death overs with the bat. He said that he and Venkatesh Iyer has batted as per the demands of the situation on Friday. Pant (52* off 28) and Iyer (33 off 18) has added 76 runs off only 35 balls for the fifth wicket and helped Team India post 186 for 5 after being sent into bat.

At a virtual press conference following the match, Pant said: “We have not set any template but we tried to capitalize on the middle overs. At the end of the day, you have to play the situation. When I was batting, I was thinking that I have to take the match slightly deeper. Generally, I would like to hit bowlers from the 14-15th over but I tried to take it deep. I knew after Iyer our bowlers were going to come. He (Iyer) came in and played really well, and we had a good partnership together.”

READ HERE: India will struggle if Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma don’t score, says Mohammad Hafeez

On Iyer’s innings, Rishabh Pant shared that the all-rounder read the situation well and played accordingly. “When you come down the order, you know the situation. He is someone who reads the situation really well. We talked about keeping it simple and not trying too many things. The plan was to see the ball, hit the ball,” he continued.

Venkatesh Iyer has opened the innings for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during IPL 2021. But he has been batting in the middle order for the Indian team.

READ HERE: Gary Kirsten all set to work with Hardik Pandya

“He (Iyer) is a mature cricketer. He used to play down the order for MP. Yes, in the IPL he is opening, but we can’t be thinking too much about that. In the Indian team, we are just trying to find different positions for different people. We are focusing on giving chances to everyone, where we see them fit for the team. And we are trying to take it forward from there,” Rishabh Pant signed off.