3 reasons why Rishabh Pant needs to score consistently in Tests

Rishabh Pant is in the middle of an important stretch on India's Test tour of Sri Lanka. India lead the two-match series 1-0 after winning the 1st Test at Galle by 165 runs, and the 2nd Test is under way at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.

Across three innings on this tour, Pant has registered two half-centuries. In the 2nd Test, he was dismissed for 63 off 89 deliveries, having hit two sixes and six boundaries. That knock was his 21st Test fifty, and it came after he had retired hurt on 3 on Day 1 following a blow to his left wrist from a Lahiru Kumara delivery. The reasons for him to keep producing such performances, however, go beyond this series alone.

3 reasons why Rishabh Pant needs to score consistently in Tests

3. Competition from Dhruv Jurel and a crowded batting order

Dhruv Jurel smashed 115 not out off 177 balls, sharing an unbroken 112-run seventh-wicket stand with Pant. It was his second Test century, and he has shown the ability to handle both pace and spin with assurance. Devdutt Padikkal has further strengthened India's middle order by scoring his second Test century in as many games in this series. He made 117 off 193 deliveries in the 2nd Test, spending close to five hours at the crease and hitting 12 boundaries, following 167 runs in the 1st Test. With Jurel pushing hard for a regular berth and Padikkal firmly established, the batting order is becoming increasingly competitive. Once Sai Sudharsan returns from injury, India may prefer to field him over carrying two wicketkeepers, which would put additional pressure on Pant to justify his place purely on batting merit.

2. His ability to change the course of a game

Pant's value to India is not limited to accumulating runs. In the 1st Test second innings at Galle, he batted on a surface that was turning sharply and offering uneven bounce, finding inventive ways to score by dancing down the pitch, flat-batting short deliveries and pulling balls behind square by getting inside the line. He reached his fifty at a run-a-ball rate in that innings, and the milestone also brought up his 100th Test six, making him only the fourth batter in the world to reach that mark after Adam Gilchrist, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. That kind of counter-attacking batting can shift the momentum of a match within a session or two, a quality that is difficult to replace.

Also Read: 'I always ask him for advice' - Dhruv Jurel on batting with Rishabh Pant

1. Proven record in SENA countries and experience during a transition phase

Pant holds Test centuries in Australia, England and South Africa, making him the only Indian wicketkeeper to have scored Test hundreds in each of those three countries. That record in challenging overseas conditions underlines how valuable he is on tours where conditions are least familiar to Indian batters. Beyond the statistics, India are currently in a transition phase with several new faces being given opportunities at the Test level. Pant's experience in high-pressure situations adds stability to a dressing room that is still finding its shape. A player with his overseas record and match-winning ability will be extremely difficult to replace, which makes consistent run-scoring from him all the more important for India's Test ambitions going forward.