India head coach Rahul Dravid hints at 'conversations' with Rishabh Pant over timing of his shots
Johannesburg, Jan 7: India head coach Rahul Dravid has hinted at having a conversation with wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant over the timing of his shots, including the wild slog that led to his dismissal in the second innings of the lost second Test against South Africa here.
Speaking to media after India's seven-wicket defeat on Thursday, Dravid said he would always want Pant to play positive cricket but at times, the shot selection can be different.
"We know Rishabh plays positively and he plays in a particular manner and that has got him a little bit of success. But of course there are times when we are going to have to have some sort of level of conversations around that," he said.
"...it is just little bit or may be selection of the time to play that (shot)," Dravid added at the virtual post-match press conference.
Pant tried to smash Kagiso Rabada out of the ground on the third ball of his innings but ended up edging it to the wicketkeeper, drawing sharp criticism from all quarters.
"No one is going to ever tell Rishabh (Pant) not to be a positive player or not to be an aggressive player but sometimes it is just the question of picking and choosing the time to do that," Dravid said when specifically asked whether he was upset with Pant's shot.
Dravid, himself a veteran of 164 Tests, also said that Pant can change the course of the game very quickly.
"...maybe giving yourself a little more time might be a little bit more advisable but look I mean in the end, we know what we are getting with Rishabh," he explained.
"He is a really positive player, he is someone who can change the course of the game very quickly for us, so naturally we won't take that away from him and ask him to become something very different.
"But sometimes, it is just about figuring out what is the right time to maybe attack and play out (a) slightly difficult period that sets the game up for you or sets your innings up. So, I mean he (Pant) is learning.
"He plays in a particular way, so it's always something that he is going to keep learning, keep improving and keep getting better," elaborated Dravid.
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UP Cong chief Ajay Rai hospitalised after fainting, stable
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai was hospitalised here after he fell unconscious due to low sodium levels, party leaders said on Saturday.
They said he was admitted to Medanta Hospital on Friday evening and is stable.
"Ajay Rai was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Lucknow at around 6 pm on Friday after he fell unconscious as his sodium levels had dropped. He fell unconscious at his residence in Lucknow. For the entire day, he was engaged in party programmes and had also gone to the airport," Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told PTI.
Congress in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pande told PTI, "Now, he (Ajay Rai) is stable and I am also reaching Lucknow."
Medanta Hospital Director Dr Rakesh Kapoor told PTI that Rai collapsed at his home on Friday evening and was subsequently admitted to the hospital's emergency ward.
Medical examinations revealed that Rai was suffering from a sodium deficiency and elevated blood pressure. Doctors administered immediate treatment and he is doing significantly better now, Kapoor said.
A team of doctors is monitoring his health. Rai is conversing with others and his condition is stable, he added.
In a post on X late Friday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Rai a speedy recovery.
Rai hails from Varanasi and had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against Modi from the parliamentary constituency. The Congress appointed him as the Uttar Pradesh unit chief in 2023.
