Sometimes you have to play more secure cricket: Pant

In the aftermath of the series-conceding loss in the Melbourne Test, India head coach Gautam Gambhir had emphasised on a team-first approach, leaving it to the players to decide whether their natural game would work for the team's cause, while skipper Rohit Sharma was more direct on placing the onus on Rishabh Pant to work out his way for what's in the best interest of the team.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series, Pant, known for his ultra-aggressive style of play, has often succumbed to high-risks strokes, that have left him with scores of 37, 1, 21, 28, 9, 28, 30. However, on day one of the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, that laid down a green strip, Pant not only curbed his natural instincts but manoeuvred his way taking multiple body blows to a laborious 98-ball 40 during which he hit only four boundaries.

Pant, who came in to bat just after India lost a Shubman Gill on the last ball before lunch, took the visitors to tea for the loss of one more wicket, and more importantly steadied the ship momentarily with a 48-run fifth wicket stand with Ravindra Jadeja. But more than the scorecard, it was Pant's change of approach that stood out on the day.