Kumble on Pant’s batting position: Legendary India leg-spinner has said that India shouldn’t bat their wicket-keeper at No. 6.
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Former India leg-spinner and Head Coach Anil Kumble has opined against wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant batting at No. 6 in the imminent series against Australia to be played from December 6 at Adelaide.
Pant, who had made his Test debut against England earlier this year, has scored 346 runs at an average of 43.25 and a strike rate of 73.61 in the five Test matches that he has played at the highest level. While 21-year old Pant scored his maiden Test hundred at No. 7, he scored a couple of 90s against Windies at home at No. 6.
If India will play six specialist batsmen and Pant, he is likely of batting at No. 7. However, if India take the field with five specialist bowlers, Pant will bat at No. 6.
It is in the second case that Kumble believes that Pant should continue to bat at No. 7, with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin batting at No. 6. “No [I don’t see Rishabh Pant as a number 6 in Australia], that’s why I thought when Ashwin moved up the batting order to number six, India should’ve persisted with that.
“I certainly believe that Ashwin is someone who can contribute at that position, especially when India travel abroad. Even in the last series, Ashwin batted really well, he’s done well overseas. He has the temperament and also the technique. He just needs to be in that position for a longer period of time,” Kumble was quoted as saying in an interview to News 18.
In the 13 Test innings which Ashwin has played at No. 6, he has scored 531 runs at an average of 35.40 and a strike rate of 48.36. Having scored two centuries and two half-centuries, the 32-year old cricketer averages the best at No. 6 in Test cricket. Him batting at the same position was advocated highly when Kumble was the coach of the Indian team.
Read some of the latest Twitter reactions on Pant below:
