Sydney, Jan 3: Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant expressed that he played with caution on the first day of the fifth Test against Australia due to the challenging nature of the SCG pitch, which prevented him from adopting his usual aggressive style.
Pant, who faced significant backlash for his reckless batting in the previous Test at Melbourne, scored 40 runs off 98 deliveries in India’s total of 185 all out on Friday.
“In this innings, I wasn’t in a mindset where I felt I could dominate the game given the condition of the wicket,” Pant shared during the post-day press conference.
“At times, it is necessary to play sensibly, as there were moments where I could have taken risks, but chose not to,” he added.
The left-handed batter stated that he is working on evolving his game, seeking a balance between defense and attack.
“You want to bat in a way that feels natural, while also focusing on evolving your approach and finding a balance between aggression and defense.”
Pant acknowledged that a batter can make things more complex when not in form.
“When you’re struggling, it’s easy to overthink,” he mentioned.
Debutant Australian all-rounder Beau Webster agreed with Pant’s assessment of the pitch.
“They (India batters) opted to consolidate and made us bowl many overs. I’m not certain what constitutes a good score on this track, but we would have chosen to bat first had we won the toss,” said Webster. (PTI)
