England scramble to decode Rishabh Pant puzzle ahead of Birmingham Test: ‘Chanced his arm a few times…’

His twin centuries might have come in a losing effort, but Rishabh Pant was in history-making form at Headingley in Leeds. A pair of centuries, including a remarkable fighting 118 in the second innings, showed that Pant had arrived in England and was in the zone, ready to do his thing and score runs at will on these tracks. Rishabh Pant batted very well for two centuries in Leeds, but did have some shaky moments particularly in the second moments to give England a couple of chances.(AFP)

With his comfort in switching between gears and converting a rock-solid defense into the kind of attack that left the opposition scratching their heads, Pant was almost impossible to bowl to at times. Veteran England seamer Chris Woakes echoed as much, and stated that the goal for England was to come up with a plan to counter India’s prolific keeper-batter.

"Rishabh's a player who you don't really know what's coming next. He's a player who keeps you on your toes as a bowler, which is sometimes exciting to bowl against,” explained Woakes at his press-conference before the Edgbaston Test match. The seamer was full of praise for the beneficial impact someone like Pant can have for Test cricket: “But sometimes, he can put you on the back foot as a bowler. He makes the game move forward. It's exciting to be a part of the game when he's at the crease.”

England yet to discuss plans for battling Pant

In terms of countering the kind of threat Pant poses, which can take the game away from any opposition if he is given the right foundation, Woakes admitted it was something England needed to have a good sit-down and think about as a unit, with their past experiences and figuring out where they can make a difference.

"But look, he scored two hundreds, obviously up at Headingley, he played really well, chanced his arm on a few occasions and came off. Hopefully, this week, we can get him a little bit earlier. I think we haven't really met up yet, but I'm sure we'll have some discussions around some of the players that we came up against last week and how we can bowl at them a little bit better," explained the fast-bowler.

Woakes is the elder statesman of England’s bowling attack, and after a pretty quiet outing in Leeds, will try to carry his eight through in Birmingham as the hosts try to extend an early 1-0 lead.

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