Rishabh Pant Known for his unorthodox batting style and out-of-the-box technique. However, the young wicket-keeper’s unique style is not effective for the team all the time. Something similar happened on the third day of the ongoing fourth Test Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Rishabh Pant failed to step up for the Indian team in their hour of need
Pant resumed the Indian innings on the third day of the fourth Test with Ravindra Jadeja. The duo looked to establish a strong partnership and added 30 runs to the Indian innings. Just when it looked like the Indian innings was coming back, Pant in his familiar style chose to bowl the spin Scott Boland Stay away from the wicket. Pant, who failed while attempting the same shot in the previous delivery, was unsuccessful again in Boland’s fourth delivery. The wicket-keeper batsman played the ball towards deep third man and caught it simple Nathan Lyon. The Indian team looked weak during Pant’s dismissal with just 191 runs on board for the loss of 6 wickets, trailing the Australian total by 283 runs.
The 27-year-old’s dismissal also proved frustrating for Jadeja at the other end. The all-rounder left soon after Pant’s dismissal and failed to build another partnership with him Nitish Reddy. Jadeja left after scoring 17 runs off 51 balls. It has been a tough series for Pant with the bat. The dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman has scored just one 124 runs In four Test matches of the series so far at an average 20.66.
See also: Mitchell Starc’s bail substitution ritual leads to Ravindra Jadeja’s dismissal on day three of fourth AUS vs IND test
Fans are grilling Pant for his irresponsible shot selection
Pant’s dismissal has been a subject of contention among Indian fans and analysts alike. The timing of his dismissal sparked further backlash from the cricket community. The notable reaction came from the former Indian cricketer and legend Sunil Gavaskar Which while doing the commenting on ABC Radio with Harsha Bhogle Choosing a shot is called a pant ‘stupid’. He also criticized the 27-year-old for throwing away his wicket at a crucial juncture.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Rishabh Pant plays in the team because of Chamshagiri, sympathy quotas and old-fashioned tournaments.
It is not technically sound, and the sooner India gets rid of it the better.
It is revealed day by day.
This is the shot he tried to play before he was sacked. #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/LYNAsP5e3A
– Nirmal Jyothi (@majornirmal) December 28, 2024
Rishabh Pant started taking risks and fell to Boland, failing to deliver again. His inconsistency leaves India without vital support from the BGT middle order – a costly loss at a crucial moment, putting India in deep trouble.
– Vipin Tiwari (@VipinTiwari952) December 28, 2024
Rishabh Pant’s sympathy share kicks in
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 attacked Rishabh Pant the way he never attacked anyone else. He has taught Pant like a schoolmaster and Pant deserves every bit of it, Pant is involved in the Indian team to ensure even with his strong PR games!!pic.twitter.com/QnTZ66egWn
– Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) December 28, 2024
Completely irresponsible play by Rishabh Pant
This is not “courage” it is simply “bravery” #INDvsAUS #Rishapant pic.twitter.com/tGMwBZ2pxJ
– Veena Jain (@DrJain21) December 28, 2024
The Champions Trophy team is just around the corner and if a Parchi player like Rishabh Pant is selected instead of a wicket-keeper like Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan who deserves to be in the team on merit, it will be like killing merit in broad daylight!!@imAagarkar @gauthamgambir All eyes are 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 exams, as his PR claims? Instead of playing responsibly, he resorts to reckless shots. He does #Rishapant Do you really want us to win this BGT? i doubt it.#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/sfbfrmwzn8
– StarcKKR (@StarcKKR) December 28, 2024
Lapis Rishabh Pant in BGT 2024-25:
37(78)
1(4)
21(35)
28(31)
9(12)
28(37)He was getting Sympthy from Endians for performing luck against Bangladesh. He was supposed to score at least 250-350 runs in this series, but he became a liability for Team India.#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/wc74DvArwB
– SOMAN18 (@Shreyasian96) December 28, 2024
Rishabh Pant in BGT 2024 – 37, 1, 21, 28, 9, 28
He hasn’t been able to score 40 runs once in his 6 innings, dropping the catch as a point guard and not scoring a single goal. Even today, the wicket has been bowled with a very irresponsible shot.
Dhruv Gurriel is a better goalkeeper and has more temperament as…
– Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) December 28, 2024
Today at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), when Rishabh Pant came out to bat, there was a special excitement in the air. I traveled to Australia just to watch this match and expectations from Pant were very high. The team was in a difficult situation and we all… pic.twitter.com/vyOlW3mJfl
– Dr. Trivedi Satyakant (SK) (@PsychBhopal) December 28, 2024
