“Guys like Rishabh Pant have got a muscle memory and the thirst for victory” – Matthew Hayden

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has showered praise on Rishabh Pant, stating the wicket-keeper bat has terrific muscle memory and the thirst for victory. Pant has been brilliant in the last two tours of Australia and has played a key role in the success of the team.

The left-hander scored 350 runs in four Test matches at an average of 58.33 on the 2018-19 tour and finished as the second-highest run-getter of the series.

The southpaw scored 274 runs in three Test matches on the previous tour of Australia at an average of 68.50 and finished as India’s leading run-scorer. He also scored a magnum opus knock of 89 runs in the second innings at the Gabba.

“Guys like Rishabh Pant have got a muscle memory and the thirst for victory. He was such a key player last time he played there and the Australian public loved him as well, because of the nature of the way he played his game,” said Hayden on the sidelines of Ceat Rating awards in Mumbai.

“It was exciting. It was innovative. It was just fresh and good. Then you have got your old stewards, like Virat Kohli, (he) will want to make an impression again. From a batting point of view, I’m excited to see how India have that strategy to take on the Australian conditions.”

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli played the opening Test match on the last tour in Adelaide but the visitors lost that game by eight wickets after they were bundled out for 36 runs. However, India registered memorable wins in Melbourne and Brisbane in Kohli’s absence, as the former skipper returned home due to personal reasons.

“The great thing from an Indian perspective is that when you look at the last victory, there was no Virat Kohli. There was a very much a second team bowling line-up that won at the Gabba. That’s the kind of confidence that you can expect this Indian unit to go to our shores (with) and go, ‘guys, we’ve done this before, and we’ve done it in a way that’s second to none, even without our key players,” said Hayden.

The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.