BENGALURU: Rishabh Pant backs his naturally aggressive style of batting and that is a positive sign for the Indian team, vice captain Jasprit Bumrah said on Sunday after stumper's fiery knock helped them set Sri Lanka a massive 400-plus target in the second Test.
Pant became the fastest Indian batter to score a Test fifty when he reached the mark in 28 balls on the second day of the match, going past Kapil Dev's 30-ball record which he set way back in 1982 against Pakistan.
"Not each and everyone (can) play in the same manner. Every individual has a different game-plan, so he has backed his strengths," Bumrah said after day's play.
Bumrah said that Pant is getting more and more experienced with each passing day.
"Not every player in the team will play with the same tempo, we understand that. He is still getting more and more experience and learning about this game. That is his plan (attacking) going forward so that's a positive sign for us," said the pacer.
Bumrah himself played a key role in taking control of the second Test with his five-wicket haul, which was his first at home.
"It feels good. When you play all three formats you have to look after your body and you sometimes miss out on the home Tests. But it's always good, this is the time when I got the opportunity and to be able to contribute towards the team's success is always a great feeling," he said.
"You won't get flat wickets everywhere you play"
The spin-friendly track made life tough for the Sri Lankan batters even as the Indians negotiated the tough track with aplomb.
Asked what the Indian made out of the track, Bumrah said "no one is complaining".
Bumrah feels that scoring runs on a track like this gives way more satisfaction.
1/8:Uphill task for visitors
<p>Sri Lanka ended day two on 28-1 in their second innings after India set them a mammoth target of 447 for victory in the second and final Test on Sunday. (PTI Photo)</p>
2/8:Early blow by Bumrah
<p>Jasprit Bumrah struck in the first over to trap opener Lahiru Thirimanne lbw for a duck but skipper Dimuth Karunaratne (10) and Kusal Mendis (16) saw out the final few overs of the day, with the tourists still 419 runs behind. (AP Photo)</p>
3/8:Fine fifties by Pant and Iyer
<p>Having bowled out Sri Lanka for 109 in the first session, India batted 69 overs before declaring on 303-9 with Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant notching up half-centuries while other Indian batsmen failed to go on from solid starts. (AP Photo)</p>
4/8:Skipper Rohit misses fifty
<p>Skipper Rohit Sharma, playing his 400th international match, holed out in the deep to fall four runs short of his fifty while Hanuma Vihari (35) was bowled by spinner Praveen Jayawickrama as he tried to sweep. (ANI Photo)</p>
5/8:Jayawickrama traps Kohli
<p>Jayawickrama struck again to surprise Virat Kohli (13) with a delivery that turned sharply and kept low, trapping him lbw in identical fashion to his dismissal in the first innings. (AP Photo)</p>
6/8:Pant registers fastest Test fifty by an Indian
<p>But Pant took the game away from the Lankans by going after the bowling as soon as he walked to the crease, bringing up his fifty with seven fours and two sixes. Made from 28 balls, his half century was the fastest by an Indian batsman, breaking the record set by Kapil Dev 40 years ago, before he skied a delivery from Jayawickrama who took the catch himself. (ANI Photo)</p>
7/8:Iyer takes India's lead past 400
<p>Iyer helped guide India to a lead beyond 400 with his second half-century of the match to add to his fine knock of 92 on a turning track in the first innings. With nine boundaries, Iyer looked comfortable at the crease before he was outfoxed by a Lasith Embuldeniya delivery that rapped him on the pads and sent him back to the pavilion for 67. (ANI Photo)</p>
8/8:Ashwin cleans up the tail
<p>Earlier, Sri Lanka had resumed day two on 86-6 but their resistance lasted only 27 minutes as Bumrah (5-24) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2-30) cleaned up the tail. Bumrah claimed his eighth five-wicket haul and his first on home soil on a pitch heavily favouring spinners. (AP Photo)</p>"You always play in different conditions, not every wicket will be the same. If there is some help for the bowlers, when you score runs on such a wicket gives you a lot of confidence," he said.
"You will not get flat wickets everywhere you play, so whenever it's a challenge, you are always looking forward to that challenge.
"Nobody is complaining about the wicket, yes everybody is finding a way and looking forward to contributing because they know if they score good runs on a tough wicket then that will give them a lot of confidence and when they play on a relatively flat wicket that will give them strength. So that is the mood in our camp," he said.
