India Tour of New Zealand: Ravi Shastri urges Pant to be smart, calls for India to raise fielding standards ahead of World Cup

Former India coach Ravi Shastri has urged Rishabh Pant to retain his attacking instincts while being mindful of match situations, saying the wicketkeeper-batter's ability to change games should not come at the cost of throwing away his wicket.

“I have never given a message to Rishabh Pant. I tell him just be smart," Shastri said during an interaction arranged by Sony Sports Network. "You've got tons of ability. You don't have to change for anybody. Play your natural game, go out there and entertain, but just be aware of the match situation.”

Shastri, who coached India between 2017 and 2021, also identified fielding as the team's biggest area of concern ahead of next year's World Cup, describing a recent decline in standards as alarming.


“The biggest improvement I want to see is in fielding because the fielding has dipped alarmingly,” he said.

"To win a World Cup or compete in a World Cup, the fielding standards have to be raised. They are way below par at the moment."

India also need greater consistency in batting and bowling, Shastri said, but he believes improvements in the field will be particularly important as the team prepares for the five-match series with the World Cup around eight to nine months away.

Shastri backed India's decision to recall experienced fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the T20I setup, saying his experience and recent form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) made him a valuable addition to a team increasingly built around younger players.

"There is no substitute for experience. It is not bought or sold in the market," he said.

"When you have experience with that kind of quality, I think it is a no-brainer. With the kind of form he showed in the IPL and the years he has been around India, he will be ideal for New Zealand conditions or, for that matter, any conditions."

Shastri also called for careful management of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah's workload, saying India should avoid asking their premier pace bowler to play all three formats until the World Cup.

"I don't think he should play all three formats till the World Cup. He should play Test cricket and he should play sporadically between one-day and T20 cricket. He shouldn't be playing the whole lot," he said.

Shastri said Bumrah's availability for the two Tests in New Zealand should take priority, given his importance to India's chances.

"I'd rather preserve him for both the Test matches in New Zealand. That's very important. He becomes a key member of that side and then use him sparingly in the other formats," he said.

Shastri acknowledged the challenge facing India in their two-Test series against New Zealand, which could prove crucial to their hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final.

India's position in the standings makes qualification difficult, he said, particularly with Australia also in contention and a demanding home series against them still to come.

"It's not going to be easy for India now, where they stand on the table," Shastri said.

He said South Africa, New Zealand and Australia appeared to be competing for two places in the final, leaving India with an uphill task to remain in contention.

"It's an uphill task. They have to win 90% of the games. That's the remaining two Test matches in New Zealand and at least four out of five against Australia," he said.

"It's not impossible. But by that time, you have to see what these three teams have done."

Shastri said India's decision to send the Test squad to New Zealand early and arrange practice matches would help the players adjust to conditions that could favour the home team's fast bowlers.

New Zealand will be emerging from winter, leaving the prospect of fresh pitches and challenging conditions for India's batters.

"The fact that the Test team is going early, playing a couple of games, is good because New Zealand is just coming out of the winter," he said.

"Seeing New Zealand's strength, I'll be surprised if they don't play in conditions that suit their fast bowlers."

India will need to adapt quickly to swing and seam movement, Shastri added, warning that cold and windy conditions could make batting particularly difficult.

"It will be a real test to adapt to the moving ball and to the conditions because New Zealand can be extremely cold and windy, where the ball will not only swing, it will seam around," he said.

"That's something they have to adapt to very quickly."

Shastri said the tour would also test captain Shubman Gill, who has performed well in New Zealand from a young age but faces a different challenge as leader of the side.

"It is a challenge for Gill, but then he is in prime form," Shastri said.

"But for a young captain travelling overseas, it will be a challenge."