Boria Majumdar in Sydney
He has copped a lot of criticism for the shots he played in Melbourne. And rightly so. On both occasions, first and second innings at the MCG, the shots weren’t on. The reason is there were fielders stationed for those shots and Rishabh played into Australian hands.
Today, it was the other way round. Rishabh literally toyed with the Australians and got into their mind. The fact that India is still in, and with a chance, is because of Pant. He picked his spots and that’s what stood out about his innings.
Even Sachin Tendulkar tweeted that on a wicket where others found it impossible to get the ball away, Pant blazed away to a 60 with a strike rate of 184. The truth is each time he played a stroke, Pat Cummins tried to adjust the field. And the moment that was done, Pant would use that vacant spot. It was a game of cat and mouse and Pant was winning the battle in the mind.
Yesterday also I had done a show saying Rishabh’s 40 was invaluable on a wicket where runs are very hard to come by. He held himself back and did all the hard yards. It was indeed an innings of character and perhaps one that wasn’t appreciated as much as it should have been.
For the Latest Sports News: Click Here
Today, however, was profoundly different. He came out with a mindset to attack and did. The very first ball he faced was bludgeoned for six and it was an indication of what he’d do in the next one hour. Australia was aware Pant was the danger man. They threw everything at him but he was unfazed. And that’s because of his game awareness, the lack of which had let him down in Melbourne. That’s where Pant has learnt from his mistake and that’s where he is the one Shibman Gill will do well to learn from.
Three things stood out about the Pant innings – the first has to be his supreme self-confidence. To go after Scott Boland, Mitch Starc and Pat Cummins on a wicket where every ball is doing something isn’t easy. In fact, impossible. And yet Pant did the job to perfection. It speaks volumes of his talent and self-confidence. Back-to-back sixes of Mitch Starc on his home ground was a first and Pant has kept India in this game.
The second thing that stood out is how smart he was. There was a method to the madness. He played multiple twos to go with the big shots and was picking the gaps with ease.
Finally, just 24 hours earlier he took severe blows on his biceps and on the grill. Also on the box. To turn up and bat like this within a day on a wicket which hasn’t changed takes courage. If he is able to exhibit this level of game awareness, he is clearly India’s go to red-ball player.
The end was tame but then the shot was on. The relief on Cummins’ face said it all. Another 30 minutes of Pant and the lead would be close to 200 and India would have control. It wasn’t to be but for the time he was there, he made every ball worth watching. A Test match innings that will be remembered for long by the 47000 SCG crowd. Perhaps forever.