'I believe that will bring out the best in him' - AB de Villiers on Rishabh Pant ahead of Sri Lanka Tests

Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has stated that a return to India colours could bring the best out of Rishabh Pant after a poor few months of late for the team's premier wicketkeeper-batter.

Pant has been coming off the back of a dismal IPL season with the Lucknow Super Giants but scored a brilliant 81 in the one-off Test against Afghanistan. De Villiers expressed concern for Pant, stating that the Indian wicketkeeper-batter looked low on confidence in the IPL but believing that donning the India whites would bring back the best out of him.

“Rishabh Pant is included, which, in my opinion, is a bit of a surprise. We’ll have to see what his fitness is like and his appetite to perform because he looked slightly low on confidence and energy during the IPL. But now he’s representing India again, and I believe that will bring out the best in number 17. I’m a big fan, I just want to see him play with intensity,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

De Villiers further praised the inclusion of all-rounder Saransh Jain, who has been a regular feature in the domestic circuits. The 33-year-old off-spinning all-rounder comes into the side as a replacement for the injured Washington Sundar, who misses the series with a hamstring issue. He further added that Saransh would give captain Shumban Gill another solid bowling option with his wealth of experience in the domestic circuit.

“The big surprise, however, is Saransh Jain. He’s 33 years old and has been playing first-class cricket for quite some time. It’s great to see him finally get his opportunity. He’s a right-arm off-spinner and a left-handed batter, similar to Washington Sundar. He’s played for quite a while and his bowling numbers are excellent.

"He averages just over 27, with a strike rate of around 54. He’ll give Shubman Gill another useful option once the ball gets older in the middle overs. His batting record is also respectable, with several fifties and a couple of hundreds. I’d describe him as more of a bowling all-rounder than a batting all-rounder,” he added.

The first Test of the two-match series will commence on August 15 at the Galle International Stadium. The second Test will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo, commencing on August 23.