MUMBAI: Before he embarks on his maiden tour of South Africa, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant learnt some useful lessons from former India player Vinod Kambli in the nets at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s BKC facility last Friday.
Kambli, who like Pant used to bat left-handed, featured in 17 Tests and 104 ODIs from 1993 to 1995. He has a fair idea of the conditions in South Africa, having played inter-provincial cricket for a season in 2003 for Boland. It was Kambli who sought to help out Pant, a superstar in the making.
“I spoke to him on the phone and told him, ‘I like your batting, but there are some things that I’ve observed. I’d like to share a few pointers with you.’ I’ve played domestic cricket in South Africa and have an idea of the conditions there. Like me, Rishabh is also a left-hander, and this is his first tour to SA.
“My son Christiano too accompanied me to meet him at BKC. It was a nice interaction of around 45 minutes. I told him to expect four slips, two gullies and one short leg. From my experience of having played there, I told him to then expect only short of good length deliveries. ‘A fuller length ball will be a rare gift, a surprise, which you must exploit,’ I told him. I told him the wickets will be kadak (hard), and bouncy, and he needs to assess the bounce quickly,” Kambli told TOI.
After giving Pant an idea of the fields and wickets that he can encounter there, Kambli gave some suggestions on how the 24-year-old can tackle those conditions. “I advised him to try and keep the ball on the ground while pulling and hooking the ball, as the South Africans will keep a fine leg and deep square leg for him for that shot. Rishabh loves to play the pull, but I advised him to practice playing the pull shot along the ground while receiving the throwdowns,” Kambli said.
Rishabh Pant (Image credit: Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images)
“When I played in South Africa, I saw Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis, who used to play for Western Province, play the pull superbly, even while keeping the ball along the ground. I told him that if he indeed does play the pull shot in the air, he should play the shot with full intent, and not half-heartedly,” Kambli added.
“I told them that in South Africa, you need the cut and the pull shots to survive,” said the 49-year-old.
There was another important tip that Kambli passed on to Pant and India’s struggling batsman Ajinkya Rahane.
“I told them to keep the bat down, and not up, while ducking a short ball. This is something I learnt while dealing with short balls in South Africa,” he stressed. Kambli was impressed by Pant’s willingness to learn from him. “He was sweet, respectful and very humble,” Kambli said.
