'He must not swing at every ball' - Sourav Ganguly's advice to Rishabh Pant ahead of England Tests

Sorav Ganguly opened up on the way Rishabh Pant batted in the series against Australia in 2024-25.

The former Indian skipper stated that Pant is a "very good" player, but added that he needs to play "a few years ago". Ganguly said he did not like the way the southpaw batted in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which India lost 3-1 away from home.

Ganguly reckoned that Pant played too many unnecessary shots and kept swinging his bat without applying himself. The former Indian batter felt the ball seamed in Australia and Pant had to be wary of it. He expressed his desire to see Pant apply himself better in England and called for "more fight" from him in the upcoming five-match series.

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"He's a very good player, but he has to continue playing the way he played a few years ago. I saw him in Australia, and I didn't like what I saw. Too many shots. He kept swinging. The ball decked around at certain venues. He has got the ability, there is no doubt about that, but it’s about the application. I want to see some more fight from him. He's got a very good defence. So, he has to defend and now swing at every ball," Ganguly told Revsportz.

We won in Melbourne without Kohli and Rohit: Sourav Ganguly

When asked about India's chances in the series, considering the fact that the last time any visiting side won a Test series in England was in 2007, Ganguly reckoned that Indian batters stepping up to the ocassion and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah staying will be the two key aspects to help India change that record. He also reminded that India won the Melbourne Test in 2020 without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, highlighting that the team has potential to perform even in the absence of senior players.

"Yes, sure. We just need two things, batting well and [Jasprit] Bumrah remaining fit. We won in Australia, in Melbourne (2020-21), with a young batting line-up, having no [Virat] Kohli, no Rohit Sharma. So, I do not see why we cannot win," Ganguly said.