Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden is mighty impressed with young Indian star Rishabh Pant’s batting exploits during the last tour of Australia.
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Hayden believes Pant’s “strong memory and thirst for victory” can make him an important player for the Indian team in the five-Test series in Australia later this year.
Hayden was speaking to the media at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai.
“Players like Rishabh Pant have muscle memory and thirst to win. The last time he played there, he was an important player and the Australian public also liked him because the way he played his game was fantastic, “Hayden told the media during the ‘CEAT Cricket Rating Awards’ in Mumbai on Wednesday.
“It was exciting. It was innovative. It was new and good. Then you have old players like Virat Kohli, (he) would like to make a mark again. From a batting point of view, I am excited to see what kind of strategy India adopts to face the Australian conditions, “said the Australian.
Pant has made a great comeback after a serious accident in 2022 and now he aims to repeat the heroic performance he did on the 2020-21 tour of Australia. During that historic tour, Pant was instrumental in India’s historic win, scoring 97 and 89 not out.
Hayden also spoke about the role of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“The likes of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith will want to make a mark. I want to see how India cope with Australian conditions.”
The upcoming series begins in Perth on November 22, and the pink-ball Test will be hosted in Adelaide, which Hayden described as eroding the Australian team’s traditional advantage.
“Once you get those overhead conditions under that twilight zone, they can be really difficult,” he said.
Hayden also praised Australian captain Pat Cummins, who has united the team with his captaincy and won the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup last year.
“Cummins has a special leadership style. His captaincy has united the team and Australia has become a strong unit under his leadership.”
Indian cricket and Pant’s fans are now looking forward to the upcoming series, with all eyes on Rishabh Pant’s potential stellar performance.
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