Rishabh Pant has yet again stunned the Headingley crowd with his fearless brand of cricket, but his shot selection on Day 4 left Dinesh Karthik questioning the logic behind it, as India needed someone to steer the second innings of the ongoing first Test against England.
Rishabh Pant, who smashed a memorable century in the first innings, looked determined to take the attack to England in the second innings as well despite the overcast skies and tough batting conditions on Day 4 at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
Coming to bat after Shubman Gill’s early dismissal for just 8 runs, Pant joined hands with KL Rahul to bring India back on track. But instead of playing cautiously, the left-handed batter stuck to his attacking instincts, which surprised many, including commentator Dinesh Karthik.
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Even as England’s pacers and spinners kept testing the batters with sharp lines and swing-friendly conditions, the Indian vice-captain showed no signs of slowing down. Earlier in his innings, one particular shot caught everyone’s attention for the wrong reasons.
It happened in the 32nd over. On the third ball, Pant dropped to one knee and attempted an ambitious slog sweep against a Chris Woakes delivery that was bowled at a blistering pace of over 130 km/h. The ball took the top edge and flew dangerously towards the fine-leg region, where two fielders were converging. But luck was on Pant’s side as it landed in the gap, and he got four runs.
It doesn't make sense to me: Dinesh Karthik on Rishabh Pant's risky shots
While the crowd cheered, Dinesh Karthik wasn’t thrilled at all. The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter has pointed out how unnecessary that shot was, especially given the tricky situation and the nature of the pitch. Karthik believed that with the ball angling in and the bowler cranking up the pace, trying to sweep a ball like that was far too risky.
The commentator even noted how Pant was himself shocked, believing he was about to get caught. However, Pant survived the scare, but his risky play left many disappointed. Dinesh Karthik said on air, “Considering the conditions and the situation of the game, I don't think that was the percentage shot. I know he's got the result, a pretty successful one.”
Karthik continued, “But the odds were definitely not stacked in his favor. Playing the sweep to a bowler who's bowling 130 clicks above 140 doesn't make sense to me. He thought he'd gone there. He saw he'd gone straight up. His reaction was almost, I'm not running here. Someone's going to catch this, but the wind took it away from the slip cordon.”
Read Also: Watch: "Sorry, Woakesey" - Rishabh Pant apologizes to Chris Woakes after pulling out at last moment
Dinesh Karthik decodes Rishabh Pant's emotions after LBW survival
Later in the same over, Rishabh Pant tried another risky shot. He went down on one knee to scoop the ball but didn’t time it well. The ball hit his pad, and England captain Ben Stokes appealed for LBW. He even took a review, but the replay showed that the ball had touched Pant’s bat before hitting the pad. England lost their review, and Pant got a lifeline.
After the over, Pant looked upset with himself. He was seen talking quietly, telling himself, 'Tez ball hai Rishabh, maarna hai toh seedha lag jaayega naa iss ball pe, kuch alag karne ki zarurat nahi hai.’ Reacting to the same, the commentator said that Pant was reminding himself to use a straight bat and not overdo things, and hoped the batter would follow his own advice.
Karthik added, “First up, he said to himself, play with the straight bat; I can still middle it. Don't try to do too much. He is almost talking himself into saying he doesn't need to do anything out of the ordinary. He's pretty disappointed with what he did, but I hope he listens to himself.”
DK translates what Rishabh Pant was saying! ?? pic.twitter.com/ofGWM4OfOp
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