Rishabh Pant Backs Captain Virat Kohli, Says Batting First Was A Team Decision

India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has backed his skipper Virat Kohli’s decision to bat first while admitting that the wicket was “soft” in the morning as the visitors were bowled out for 78 against England on the opening day of the third Test in Leeds on Wednesday. England ended the day at 120 for no loss and Pant said that rather than fretting on what happened, they need to “learn from mistakes and move on”. “It’s part and parcel of the game. Everyday the batting unit is giving hundred per cent but sometimes it doesn’t go well,” Pant said when asked about the 78 all out, which came just nine months after the debacle in Adelaide.

“In the morning, the wicket was slightly on the softer side and they bowled in good areas. We could have applied ourselves better. We can learn from it and only move on. That’s all we can do as cricketers. You learn from your mistakes and improve,” the flamboyant cricketer said.

He also felt that Kohli’s decision to bat first despite wicket being damp was a collective call. “I don’t think so,” he replied when asked if batting first was a tricky move.

“Whatever decision we take, we take as a team. So once we have decided we are going to bat first, we are going to back our decision. Yes we could have applied much better but we can’t keep on thinking too much about the toss.”

Pant of late has been pressed into action with top-order consistently failing to deliver but the youngster sees that as an opportunity and not something that puts him under pressure.

“As a cricketer, I don’t think in that manner. Whatever be the situation, you think about the team first and what you can do in that situation,” he said.

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“…if the top-order collapses and you get an opportunity, I see it as an opportunity that if you can bail the team out of that situation, you are going to do wonders in your life, as a cricketer,” he explained his perspective.

“I see it as an opportunity to move on. I am not thinking too much about pressure as at the end of the day, everyone is thinking good for the team. So we need to take everything on our chin rather than thinking about pressure.”