Hemang Badani, the former India batter and current Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach, believes Gautam Gambhir should encourage Rishabh Pant to stick to his aggressive style of play during the upcoming five-Test Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England.
Badani suggests that Pant, recently named vice-captain, would perform best by focusing on putting pressure on the English bowlers rather than overthinking his leadership duties.
At just 27, Pant is a seasoned player within the youthful Indian squad touring England. While he was considered for the captaincy, Shubman Gill ultimately took on the role. Despite a disappointing home series whitewash against New Zealand, where Pant was a bright spot for India, he managed only one half-century against Australia, averaging 28.33. He’s also coming off a moderate IPL 2025 season.
“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 a leading publication.
Badani further emphasized the importance of Gambhir’s role. “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,” Badani added.
In Badani’s view, Pant possesses all the necessary skills; his success will ultimately hinge on the team management’s strategy and vision.
