Exclusive - Rishabh Pant has matured but England will be challenging: Kapil Dev

India would do well to take it ldquosession by sessionrdquo when they meet New Zealand in the final of the World Test Championship next month followed by the fiveTest series against EnglandldquoTest cricket is about sessions Each can be intriguing because of the weather factor Within minutes it changes from sunny to cloudy So you have to be tactically good and technically sound when you play in Englandrdquo former India captain Kapil Dev told midday on TuesdayKapil led India to an emphatic 20 triumph in a threematch series in 1986 with victories at Lordrsquos and Leeds Dilip Vengsarkar two centuries and current chief selector Chetan Sharma 16 wickets in two Tests had played decisive roles in that seriesKapil Dev right and Dilip Vengsarkar pose with a champagne bottle on the triumphant tour of England in 1986 PicGetty ImagesLooking at the WTC final Kapil said ldquoI would have preferred more than just one match to decide such an important title Of course these days it is not a big thing to prepare for a match It helps to play a few matches in those conditions but that canrsquot be an excuse Maybe Lordrsquos would have a better venue than Rose Bowl because the ground has great history Even Manchester Old Trafford would have been a good choice but there is something about celebrating a win at LordrsquosrdquoSouthampton was chosen because the hotel is part of the ground which is helpful in Coronavirus timesWTC needs three finalsThe idea of a Test Championship appealed to Kapil ldquoWhy not It is something the ICC has done to popularise Test matches There will be good cricket for the public I am sure I feel threeTest finals would have been greatrdquoA Test noted Kapil extracts the best out of the players ldquoI wonrsquot say batsmen are better than the bowlers You have to have a balance India look a superior batting side How they tackle the conditions is important To me Indiarsquos batting will hold the key The bowlers provide a solid backup to Indiarsquos cricket campaigns these days but the quality of batsmen will stand out in the finalrdquoKapil DevFor Kapil the performance of one individual will matter a lot He wants Rishabh Pant to play his part well ldquoHe looks a very mature cricketer now from the time he came into the side He seems to have far more time to play his shots and obviously his range of strokes is awesome But England will be challenging He must spend more time in the middle and not just look to hit every ball We used to say the same about Rohit Sharma who had so many shots but would step out and get out so many timesldquoSame is with Rishabh now He is an exciting player and very valuable too All I would tell him is take time before unfolding his range of shots England is differentrdquolsquoExpect Virat to excelrsquoAbout Virat Kohli who returns to overseas Test cricket he said ldquoI expect him to excel Can you really shackle him He is a natural when it comes to adapting but I would caution him to not be overaggressive He will have to measure it session by session Hersquoll be better off waiting for his moments of dominance He will get his runs with a bit of patienceldquoTrying too hard and too early doesnrsquot work in England where you need to watch the movement of the ball If you play seam and swing well show patience you will succeed in Englandrdquo Recalling the 1986 series win in England Kapil said ldquoWe played exceptionally good cricket I want this team to remember that England in England is tough They are a very good team when playing at home but then it will also depend on how the Indian bowlers adapt to the conditions and pitches Swing will be very rewarding and here I feel England are one step ahead of IndiardquoWould Kapil be watching the games ldquoOf course I am a big fan of Test cricket I love watching the full dayrsquos play If work keeps me away from the TV I catch up with the highlights I always watch as much as I can There is nothing like Test cricketrdquoAlso ReadRichard Hadlee Indias performances have kept Test cricket alive