“We'll have some discussions”- Chris Woakes on Rishabh Pant threat ahead of Edgbaston test

In the second Test, which is set to take place at Edgbaston on Wednesday, the hosts will talk about reducing the threat offered by India vice-captain Rishabh Pant and a few other players, England's seasoned fast bowler Chris Woakes admitted.  

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Batters grabbed center stage and led a heroic effort in the first game of the series at Headingley, while Indian bowlers came up short and attempted to force breakthroughs with a lackluster attack. In the five-wicket loss in Leeds, India had five centurions, including Shubman Gill (147), KL Rahul (137), Pant (134 and 118), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101).

Woakes talked about the thrill of bowling against the explosive Pant, who can put the opposition bowlers on the defensive, as the second Test of the demanding series approaches.

"Rishabh's a player who you don't really know what's coming next. He's a player who keeps you on your toes as a bowler, which is sometimes exciting to bowl against. But sometimes, he can put you on the back foot as a bowler. He makes the game move forward. It's exciting to be a part of the game when he's at the crease," Woakes told reporters in a press conference on Monday.

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“Hopefully, we’ll get him a bit earlier”- Chris Woakes on Rishabh Pant

Woakes is still hopeful of ending the much-anticipated fireworks from the southpaw and other Indian stars, whom he declined to name, early, since the Pant danger is still present at Edgbaston.

"But look, he scored two hundreds, obviously up at Headingley, he played really well, chanced his arm on a few occasions, and came off. Hopefully, this week, we can get him a little bit earlier. I think we haven't really met up yet, but I'm sure we'll have some discussions around some of the players that we came up against last week and how we can bowl at them a little bit better," he added.

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When Pant gets an away Test ton for India, he will be hoping to snap his losing record. On English soil, the intrepid wicketkeeper's during strokeplay is known to entice the Three Lions. Pant has amassed 808 runs at a respectable average of 42.52 and struck at 69.89 in 10 Test matches.

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