ENG vs IND 2025: 'Every team needs players like Rishabh Pant who break momentum' - Sitanshu Kotak defends aggressive batting approach

Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak heaped praise on captain Shubman Gill and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for their vital contributions in India’s emphatic win over England in the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 at Edgbaston. The victory marked a strong comeback for India after losing the opening Test at Headingley, despite Pant scoring twin centuries in that match.

Kotak credited Pant’s flamboyant style of play, highlighting the importance of having impactful players who can shift momentum and turn the tide in high-pressure games. India set a mammoth target of 608 runs for England, largely thanks to Gill’s commanding double-century in the first innings and a superb 161 in the second.

“Every team will have some aggressive players who are very good at breaking the opposition’s momentum. So, someone like Jaiswal, who plays the way he plays; someone like Rishabh,” said Kotak during India’s practice session as quoted by The Indian Express.

“But that does not mean that he doesn’t think. He does think, he does take decisions and when it goes wrong, it looks bad. But when it goes right, people are happy saying, ‘Oh, what an entertaining innings that was.’ So any team, I would think that would have a couple of players who are a little different in a batting lineup than others,” he added.

Kotak dismissed the notion that Pant is merely an in-the-moment player, a label often associated with him due to his audacious shot selections. He emphasised that Pant’s approach is not just instinctive but also calculated and impactful. Pant is currently the third-highest run-scorer in the series with 342 runs.

“Rishabh actually talks a lot about what he does with the bat, when he does, why he does it with me. He is someone who doesn’t like talking too much during his innings because he feels that that changes his mindset, and he makes the wrong decision,” Kotak said.

“I don’t think anything has changed because he is a captain. His mindset has shifted a bit and there are definitely technical changes, which I saw in Australia, series in India, and during our initial practice match here,” Kotak said about Gill.

Kotak admitted that the pitch at Lord’s is greener compared to the surfaces used in the first two Tests, which is likely to offer assistance to the pacers. He noted that while bowlers can expect some help from the conditions, it will be crucial for batters to spend time at the crease and build their innings with patience.

“The wicket is a bit greener than what we saw in the last two games. However, we can only talk after they do the last cutting before the match. And generally, at Lord’s, the scores of the first and second innings are comparatively low. So, we can expect that it will be helpful for bowlers. For batters, spending time on the wickets is the best friend you can have. The more time you spend on the wicket, the more you will adjust to it,” Kotak concluded.