At this top level, you are going to be putunder pressure: Pant

Rishabh Pant has a special affinity with Guwahati. It is here that he made his one-day international debut back in 2018, and on Saturday will stride out to lead India for the first time in Tests after regular skipper Shubman Gill was ruled out with a neck injury.

Given his team is trailing in the two-match series, this will be a real test of his leadership skills. Already, Pant has had a taste of the demands of captaincy after questions were raised about his decision-making. On the third morning of the Kolkata Test, India opted to use spinners rather than pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, and let the South African lower-order score vital runs, which proved costly.

“There was a lot of discussion that happened as a team, and going with a spinner was that process. That’s the challenge as a captain, you are going to be questioned,” said Pant. “But eventually you are going to do what you believe is right in that given frame of mind and trust that that person who has the ball will do the job for the team.”

Though the 28-year-old has vast experience in leading sides in the limited-overs games, he hasn’t led a lot in the longer formats.

“I feel in red-ball cricket, because it goes over a longer period of time, small tactical changes you can overcome because it gives you time,” said Pant on the upcoming challenge. “At the same time, you have to keep your emotions in check and don’t let the game drift away from you for too long.”

Commenting on this contest and the pressure of trying to avoid a series defeat, the wicket-keeper batter added, “At this top level, you’re going to be put under pressure. At the same time, as a team, we don’t want to dwell too much on the result every time we play. We need to have a clear mindset that regardless of whether we are up or down in the series, we still have to give our 200%.”