Guwahati, Nov 22 India’s off‑spin bowling all‑rounder Washington Sundar believes Rishabh Pant will rely heavily on his instincts as he leads the side in the second Test against South Africa at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.
Pant becomes India’s 38th Test captain, and is only the second wicketkeeper‑batter after MS Dhoni to lead the side in the longest format. Incidentally, Pant’s first outing as Test skipper comes at the same venue where he made his ODI debut in 2018.
He was entrusted with leadership duties after regular skipper Shubman Gill was ruled out due to a neck injury. “He’s a little different from him as the captain. He’s someone who would go in with his instincts and we all know how he thinks about his game, especially when he bats. So I think we can expect a lot from his instincts and I hope he takes some interesting decisions as well,” said Sundar to broadcasters ahead of the start of the game.
The inaugural Test in Guwahati begun at 9am, earlier than the customary 9.30am start in India. The first session break will be for tea, limited to 20 minutes, followed by a 40‑minute lunch interval starting at 1:40pm.
Reflecting on preparations ahead of the Guwahati Test, especially after losing the Kolkata Test by 30 runs, Sundar said, “I mean, it is good. We had a decent prep in Eden Gardens itself immediately after the last game and then coming over here, we got a couple of days.”
“Conditions are a little different over here – like early morning starts. Conditions are a lot more different here and we need to sort of gather a lot of information in the first couple of days. So it’s going to be a lot more exciting.”
India need to win in Guwahati to level the two-game series and avoid a second series loss in two years. Sundar remarked that the Indian team is up for the challenge to save the series. “It’s the beauty of Test cricket over here. You are going to be challenged no matter what happens.”
“Even if you are doing really well in the series, you will come out and be challenged every single day throughout the game. So I think all of us are really up for the challenge, especially when playing at home, we genuinely feel strong and we are prepared enough as well.”
Sundar, who was promoted to number three in the batting order in Kolkata and made scores of 29 and 31, said the opportunity to bat one down was one he would embrace wholeheartedly.
“It’s all got to do with how I manage my time and the day. The fact that it’s not a long series means I have got enough time to give to both batting and bowling and also to fielding here and there. But then yes it’s a great opportunity to play at number three, especially at the highest level for the Indian cricket team, I would take it any day with both my hands.”
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