Veteran Proteas glovesman Mark Boucher has advised Temba Bavuma and Co. to do their homework properly against Rishabh Pant in the upcoming Test series starting this Friday.
Pant is set to return to international cricket with the upcoming Test series against South Africa, marking his comeback after fracturing his toe during the fourth Test against England in Manchester.
He made his way back into form through India A’s unofficial Tests against South Africa A in Bengaluru, where he scored 90 in a successful chase in the opening match and followed it up with 65 in the next, despite briefly retiring hurt on 17. His return to complete the innings showcased encouraging signs of both form and fitness ahead of the senior team’s series.
Boucher lauded Pant’s game-changing ability, calling him a dangerous player who can shift momentum within hours, while advising his team to prepare wisely and exploit the wicketkeeper-batter’s aggressive instincts.
“Rishabh Pant is a very dangerous player. We’ve seen him change games in the space of a few hours. South Africa will know that, and they need to have their preparation against him. If they are smart, they play on his emotions a bit. Also, understand what he wants to do and how he wants to dominate,” Boucher said on Star Sports.
The Indian wicketkeeper has faced South Africa in just three Tests, where he also notched up a century. The Proteas, however, remain cautious of the explosive edge he adds to India’s batting lineup with his aggressive style in red-ball cricket.
“Rishabh Pant wants scoreboard to be ticking all the time”
Boucher outlined a tactical approach to counter Pant, suggesting South Africa use boundary riders to slow his scoring rate and test his patience, noting that frustrating the aggressive batter could be key to containing his impact.
“It’s not defensive to put a couple of boundary riders out to Rishabh Pant and make him really work hard for his runs. It’s not something he isn’t used to doing, but the way that he plays, he wants the scoreboard to be ticking all the time. You can put a slight halt to that and frustrate him a bit. So they need to do their homework properly with him, which I am sure they would have probably already done.”