‘Rishabh Pant can change a game on its head’ – New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen ahead of WTC final against India

India is all set to resume international cricket in June. Team India will lock horns against New Zealand in the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship from June 18 to June 22 at the Rose Bowl. Ahead of the WTC final, New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen named the cricketer who can pose a threat to the Black Caps bowler and can emerge as a roadblock on their road to victory.

While many cricket analysts and fans are backing skipper Virat Kohli, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma to score big in the summit clash, the NZ coach believes that it will be extremely important for the Kiwi bowlers to find a solution to stop young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. Jurgensen hailed Pant as a dangerous batter while admitting that the young rookie can change the course of a game at any point in time.

Pant is in the form of his life in the purest format of the game and has made heads turn with his class and character. The southpaw was the wrecker-in-chief for India as they registered a stunning victory in the four-match Test series against Australia by 2-1. The 23-year-old carried his blistering form in the Test series against England too and played many match-defining knocks for the hosts.

“Well, Pant is an extremely dangerous player who can change the game on its head. We saw how well he did it against Australia and England. He’s extremely positive-minded, but with that comes potentially the opportunity to take his wicket,” Jurgensen told The Telegraph.

It’s a challenging bowling attack that India has: Shane Jurgensen

“Our bowlers need to execute well, stay calm and make it as difficult as possible for Pant to score runs. He’s certainly a free-flowing batsman and a tough one to stop, which we should keep in mind,” he added.

Further, in the interaction, the bowling coach lauded India’s formidable pace attack. India has a handful of world-class pacers under their belt including the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, and Shardul Thakur. 

“It’s a challenging bowling attack that India has. A lot of options are available for them. It’ll be a very, very stiff challenge we could face from Bumrah to Shardul, who’s an all-rounder and has done well in Australia too. There’s Mohammed Siraj and even their spinners, who can spin it both ways. It’s a group of formidable, outstanding Test bowlers,” he signed off.

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