Rishabh Pant is known for his unconventional batting style and out-of-the box technique. However, the young wicket-keeper batter’s unique style is not effective for the team all the time. Something of a similar sort happened on Day 3 of the 4th Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Rishabh Pant failed to step up for the Indian team in the hour of need
Pant resumed the Indian innings on Day 3 of the 4th Test with Ravindra Jadeja. The duo was looking set to go for a solid partnership and added 30 runs to the Indian innings. Just when Indian innings appeared to be coming back, Pant in his familiar style, opted for a lap shot against Scott Boland stepping away from the wicket. Pant, who failed while attempting the same shot on the previous delivery, did not get success again on the fourth delivery of Boland’s over. The wicket-keeper batter played the ball towards deep third man and gave a simple catch to Nathan Lyon. The Indian team appeared vulnerable during the time of Pant’s dismissal with just 191 runs on board for the loss of 6 wickets, trailing behind the Australian total by 283 runs.
The 27-year-old’s dismissal proved out to be discouraging for Jadeja too on the other end. The all-rounder departed soon after Pant’s dismissal and failed to build another partnership with Nitish Reddy. Jadeja departed after scoring 17 runs off 51 balls. It has been a difficult series for Pant with the bat. The dynamic wicket-keeper batter has only scored 124 runs in four Test matches of the series so far with an average of 20.66.
Also WATCH: Mitchell Starc’s bail-switching ritual lead to the dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja on Day 3 of the AUS vs IND 4th Test
Fans roast Pant over his irresponsible shot-selection
Pant’s dismissal was a bone of contention for the Indian fans and analysts alike. The timing of his dismissal further instigated reactions from the cricketing community. Notable reaction came from former Indian cricketer and legend Sunil Gavaskar who while doing commentary for the ABC Radio with Harsha Bhogle called Pant’s shot selection ‘Stupid’. He further criticised the 27-year-old for throwing away his wicket on a crucial juncture.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Rishabh Pant plays in the team because of chamchagiri, sympathy quota and old heroics.
He is not technically sound, and the earlier India gets rid of him better it will be.
Getting exposed day after day.
This is the shot he tried to play before his dismissal. #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/LYNAsP5e3A
— Nirmal Jyothi (@majornirmal) December 28, 2024
Rishabh Pant started taking risk and fell to Boland, failing to deliver once again. His inconsistency leaves India without vital middle-order support in the BGT..a costly miss at a crucial moment, putting India in deep trouble.
— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) December 28, 2024
Rishabh Pant sympathy quota hits out
Please retire and stop playing with the emotions of a billion Indians.#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/UEURiq2x84
— Yanika_Lit (@LogicLitLatte) December 28, 2024
Stupid!! Stupid!! Stupid!!
Sunil Gavaskar bashed Rishabh Pant the way he never bashed anyone else. He schooled Pant like a school headmaster and Pant deserves every bit of it, Pant takes place in Indian Team for guarantee even with his strong PR games!!pic.twitter.com/QnTZ66egWn
— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) December 28, 2024
Completely irresponsible play by Rishabh Pant
This is not ‘Fearless’ this is simply ‘Bra!nless’ 🤡#INDvsAUS #RishabhPant pic.twitter.com/tGMwBZ2pxJ
— Veena Jain (@DrJain21) December 28, 2024
Champions Trophy squad is around the corner & if parchi player like Rishabh Pant gets selected over wicket keeper like Sanju Samson & Ishan Kishan who deserves to be in squad on merit then it will be murder of merit in broad daylight!!@imAagarkar @GautamGambhir all eyes on you. pic.twitter.com/clHQyxMrOg
— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) December 28, 2024
Isn’t Rishabh Pant supposed to be our savior and the X-factor in Tests, as his PR claims? Instead of playing responsibly, he goes for reckless shots. Does #RishabhPant genuinely want us to win this BGT? I doubt it.#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/sfbfrmwzn8
— StarcyKKR (@StarcKKR) December 28, 2024
Lappebaz Rishabh Pant in BGT 2024-25 :
37(78)
1(4)
21(35)
28(31)
9(12)
28(37)He was getting Sympthy from the Endians for fluke performance against Bangladesh. He should have scored at least 250-350 runs in this series, but he has become a burden on team India.#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/wc74DvArwB
— SOMAN18 (@Shreyasian96) December 28, 2024
Rishabh Pant in BGT 2024 – 37, 1, 21, 28, 9, 28
He could not score 40 runs once in 6 innings he played, he is dropping catches as keeper and neither scoring runs. Even today, thrown wicket with very irresponsible shot.
Dhruv Jurel is better keeper with more temperament as…
— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) December 28, 2024
Today at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), when Rishabh Pant walked out to bat, there was a special excitement in the air. I had traveled all the way to Australia just to watch this match, and the expectations from Pant were sky-high. The team was in a tough spot, and we all… pic.twitter.com/vyOlW3mJfl
— Dr Trivedi Satyakant (SK) (@PsychBhopal) December 28, 2024
Also [WATCH]: Sunil Gavaskar brutally slams Rishabh Pant over his reckless dismissal on Day 3 of the MCG Test
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