Pant refined defence post-Australia tour: Childhood coach Devender Sharma

After an underwhelming tour to Australia marked by poor shot selection, Rishabh Pant has begun the series against England in an emphatic fashion, scoring a hundred at Leeds to showcase his extraordinary talent.

Devender Sharma, one of Pant's childhood coaches alongside the late Tarak Sinha, attributed the resurgence to the work the wicketkeeper batter has put in on his defence and shot selection.

"After he failed in Australia, he made a lot of changes to his defensive techniques and curbed his stroke play, which you also saw in the match. Pant is a match-winner," Sharma told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview.

"Before he went to England, we discussed his defense because his Australia tour didn't go well. We decided he would play fewer strokes and focus more on batting there. England's conditions are different; there's more movement," he added. 

The effort Pant has put in behind the scenes were evident in the dazzling array of shots he played en route a magnificent 134 in the first Test in Leeds.

During his knock, Pant also went past MS Dhoni for the most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper in Test cricket, bringing up his seventh ton on the second day of the series opener against England.

This isn't Pant's first hundred in England, for he had struck one during the team's last tour of that country.

The coach attributed Pant's success in England's challenging conditions to his unique ability to "bat with ample time" and play from a "slightly deeper position."  "He scored a hundred last time in England as well. He has a lot of time when he bats, which is a factor that makes him successful in England. Playing in the second line gives him a significant advantage," he asserted.

Pant struck a six off the first ball of the 100th over of India's first innings, clearing the fence off Shoaib Bashir to bring up the milestone.

He completed 3,000 Test runs during his innings and has 15 fifties in 44 matches and averages nearly 44.

Sharma sees Pant as an all-format player.

"I feel that Rishabh is a player who can play all three formats. He isn't in the team right now, but I believe he will come back after his IPL failure. If you're a good player, you'll perform."  It was his first century since September 2024 when he scored 109 against Bangladesh at Chennai.