Not Kohli, Nor Rohit! Mark Wood Reveals Which Indian Batter is Nightmare for All Bowlers
England pacer Mark Wood explains why bowling to Rishabh Pant is a nightmare, praising the Indian star’s fearless style while urging bowlers to “hold their nerve or get punished.”
England fast bowler Mark Wood has admitted that bowling to Rishabh Pant is one of the toughest challenges in world cricket, calling the Indian wicketkeeper-batter “every bowler’s nightmare.”
Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Wood explained how Pant’s ability to attack from any situation leaves bowlers with little margin for error.
“I think you’ve got to hold your nerve. That’s basically what I would say, because I think you have to be so unpredictable that it plays into his hands. He can just stand there and wait for anything difficult. But if you’re the same all the time, then he’s got such a good eye, he sort of hits it where he wants,” Wood said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
Pant enjoys an outstanding record against England, scoring 1260 runs in 16 Tests at an average of 46.66, including five centuries.
His fearless strokeplay against pace has repeatedly troubled England bowlers, with his counter-attacking knocks often swinging momentum in India’s favour.
Wood noted that surprise is the only way to contain Pant:
“You’ve got to have a mixture of holding your nerve with maybe the odd ball that’s a bit unpredictable, whether it’s a slower ball, or you might change up with a really high bouncer, or something slightly different.”
Meanwhile, Pant has been ruled out of the Asia Cup 2025 after fracturing his foot during the recent England tour. The injury occurred when he attempted a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes in the Manchester Test, with the ball deflecting onto his right ankle.
Pant retired hurt on Day 1 but returned the next day to score a fighting half-century despite limping. The 27-year-old was later replaced by Dhruv Jurel as wicketkeeper for the remainder of the match.
