The somersault following his 54-ball century in Lucknow Super Giants’ concluding IPL 2025 fixture against eventual champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru was not just a celebratory action, it was also an expression of relief.

For his team, that game didn’t matter much as Lucknow were no longer in contention for the playoffs. But for Pant, it certainly did. More so, given his role ahead for Team India.

Of course, Test and T20 cricket are two diametrically opposite formats. But finishing a tournament, irrespective of its format, with very few runs can affect a batsman’s morale, especially before a crucial tour.

Against England in England for the five-Test series, Pant has a much bigger role to play as he is among the most experienced cricketers in the current Indian Test squad, alongside Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, skipper Shubman Gill, and Jasprit Bumrah in terms of the number of Test caps.

Before such an important series, which is also India’s first post the Virat Kohli-
Rohit Sharma era, Pant certainly needed some runs under his belt.

However, now that the keeper-batter is also a part of the leadership group, as head coach Gautam Gambhir announced before Team India began their training in England, he’s expected to bat with a lot more responsibility. Differentiating between aggression and recklessness is one task that challenges Pant.

A lot was expected of him on the last tour of Australia, but he made only 255 runs in nine innings with just one 50-plus score, often giving his wicket away with needless shots. Even in Sydney, where he got 61 off 33 balls, he fell to a soft dismissal.

Before the horrific car accident Pant suffered in December 2022, he was irreplaceable in the Test team. But with the arrival of Dhruv Jurel and considering the kind of composure he has already shown in his four-Test career so far, can the same be said about Pant at present? Particularly, if he continues to be careless with his
shot selection.

However, the X-factor that Pant has, he will be able to turn it around in England, feels Lucknow assistant coach Lance Klusener. “Sometimes it (mode of dismissal) can look not so pretty... A mistake that could have been avoided.

“But you also need to see how many times that X-factor kind of playing has won and saved India Test matches. So yeah, I would encourage him to keep going in the same manner,” Klusener said.