Cricket: Kapil Dev comes up with valuable advise for Rishabh Pant ahead of England tour

Former World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev has weighed his opinion on swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who has been hailed as one of the most talented batters in today’s cricket.

While Pant took the world by storm as he roared back to form in the Test series against Australia and England, Kapil Dev reckons that the southpaw needs to slow down a bit and find a perfect blend of caution and aggression as India gear up to take on New Zealand in the World Test Championship final before locking horns with England in a five-Test series.

“He looks a very mature cricketer now from the time he came into the side. He seems to have far more time to play his shots and obviously his range of strokes is awesome. But England will be challenging. He must spend more time in the middle and not just look to hit every ball. We used to say the same about Rohit Sharma, who had so many shots, but would step out and get out so many times,” Kapil Dev was quoted as saying by Mid Day.

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As Kapil compared Pant to Rohit Sharma, he suggested the youngster to take some time to settle in before launching his array of strokes.

“Same is with Rishabh now. He is an exciting player and very valuable too. All I would tell him is to take time before unfolding his range of shots. England is different.”

The former Indian skipper further added that he loves Test cricket the most and always looks forward to watching full day’s play.

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“Of course. I am a big fan of Test cricket. I love watching the full day’s play. If work keeps me away from the TV, I catch up with the highlights. I always watch as much as I can. There is nothing like Test cricket.”

India will take on New Zealand in the final of ICC World Test Championship – starting June 18 in Southampton.