Kohli lauds Pant impact: 'He can be a consistent match-winner for India'

Pant produced two match-defining knocks to help India to their famous win over Australia in the recent Border-Gavaskar series, which took his side to the top of the ICC World Test Championship.

His outstanding 97 in Sydney ultimately helped his side secure an unlikely draw in the penultimate Test. And he went one better in Brisbane, producing an outstanding 89* to steer India to a famous victory at the Gabba.

Those performances will live long in the memory, but Pant did not start the series, with Wriddhiman Saha given the gloves and batting at seven in the opening test in Adelaide.

Pant’s performances ensured he was always likely to begin the upcoming series against England as a batter at the very least, but questions lingered over whether he would also take the gloves.

However, speaking ahead of the first test in Chennai, India captain Virat Kohli confirmed that Pant will be selected as a wicketkeeper.

“Yes, Rishabh will start, Rishabh will take the gloves tomorrow,” Kohli said. “He's had impact performances in Australia recently and he's in a good space. We want him to build on this, along with him improving all aspects of his game, which will happen with more game time and the more confidence he gains playing those games. So that's how we look at Rishabh.

“He’s come along very nicely. After the IPL he came to Australia, where he wasn't a part of the white-ball formats, but he kept working hard on his fitness and on his game. He realised the importance of putting in that work and he got the results eventually, which all of us were very happy to see.”

Kohli believes that Pant’s explosive talent with the bat makes him a potential match-winner for years to come. The last 55 runs of his series-winning 89* in Brisbane came off just 54 balls, while he simultaneously had to manage the tail as wickets fell around him. And it is that sort of impact that Kohli says will worry opponents in Test cricket.

“He's someone that we have backed quite a lot, and for good reason," Kohli said. "What you saw in Australia is something that he can do with the bat, and that brings a lot of value to the team.

“He will continue to be backed because he's an impact player. And along with his hard work he can definitely be a very, very consistent match-winner for India and someone that the opposition will definitely be wary of every time they play against India.”

Another 23-year-old talent, though, will not feature in the first two Tests of the series. England’s Zak Crawley was expected to start at No. 3 but slipped on a marble floor outside the team’s changing room during a practice session on Tuesday and injured his wrist.

“You feel for players who pick these injuries up,” England captain Joe Root said. “We’re doing everything that we can to get ready, and something as freak as that can have such a big impact.”