India A tour to England helped me prepare for Test debut: Pant

Young wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant has credited India 'A' stint in England this summer for his impressive showing on Test debut, saying it helped him to cope with pace and bounce at Trent Bridge.

The 20-year-old made a confident start to his Test career at Trent Bridge, scoring an attacking 24 in the first innings and then taking seven catches, the latter a record for Indian keeping debutante.

"Keeping in England is always difficult because the ball wobbles a lot behind the wicket. The thing is that I have been playing India-A cricket since last two-and-a-half months in England, so it has been helpful for me," Pant said after India beat England by 203 runs in third Test.

"I am practicing in the nets on how to deal with that and it is working now," added Pant, who played for India A against England Lions and West Indies A before being named in the Test squad.

During his debut Test, Pant spilled a few chances, particularly against Jasprit Bumrah, but he said it was owing to the angle that the pacer creates at time of delivery.

"It is a big challenge, but the thing is that when Bumrah bowls, he bowls with a different angle. So, sometimes we react to it. That day I reacted too much on that ball and the edge came off. I'm not saying that it was not too difficult a catch; I could have pulled it off," he said.

"As a keeper you have to wait for the outside edge. That is the only thing I can do, and that is what I have learnt after that thing. I am going to wait for the outside edge. That is the only solution."
On his Test debut, Pant said: "It is a great experience, actually. I have played with all the people (team members) in IPL and domestic cricket but when you play for the country, it is a different feeling. It was a dream for me to play Test cricket."