Rishabh Pant Advised To "Not Think About Captaincy": Gautam Gambhir Asked To Give Message Ahead Of England Tour

Rishabh Pant will be in focus in the India vs England Test series. Along with India captain Shubman Gill, Pant is part of the new leadership group in the Indian cricket team after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. While Pant is a match-winner, a fact that he has proven time and again in Tests, his recent form is not exactly awe-inspiring. Barring a century in Lucknow Super Giants' last IPL 2025 match, Rishabh Pant did not have a good outing. 

Hemang Badani, coach of IPL team Delhi Capitals, has advised Gautam Gambhir to ask India vice-captain Rishabh Pant to stop thinking about his leaderships roles and focus on his batting.     

"It's important that someone like Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, has a chat with him and speaks to him and says, 'Rishabh tu apna game khel.' Don't think too hard about captaincy, vice captaincy, you're the second in command, none of that. There is a certain way that you've played over the years and that has worked well for you. And I think it will work well for us if he does that again, because he is a batter who comes to the bat at times when the second new ball is due," Hemang Badani told HT.

Badani added Rishabh Pant need not change his aggressive style. 

"I genuinely hope it doesn't change one bit. I think he is somebody who has found the right balance of attacking stroke-making and defensive stroke-making in this cricket. So I don't see any reason why you should try and change that," Badani told Hindustan Times in an exclusive chat.

"You want to keep the bowling on the mat, you want to keep them under pressure rather than keep leaving balls and let them settle down into a good line and length. It then it becomes easier for the bowler to try and pick wickets.
 

Topics mentioned in this article

Rishabh Pant India Cricket Team England Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir England vs India, 2025 Cricket