Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has strongly criticized Rishabh Pant’s choice of shot during his dismissal on the third morning of the MCG Test against Australia.
Pant, who looked promising with a fluent 28 off 37 balls, resumed India’s innings alongside Ravindra Jadeja at 164 for 5. The duo had nearly weathered the first hour of play when Pant attempted an ill-advised scoop shot off Scott Boland. Trying to hit from outside off stump to the leg side, he instead edged the ball to deep third, where Nathan Lyon took an easy catch.
Commenting on Star Sports during the lunch break, Gavaskar remarked, “Such a shot might be understandable earlier in the innings when there are no fielders around, but at that moment, it was a terrible choice. With two fielders stationed at deep square-leg and deep point, it was not the right shot to play."
Notably, Pant had tried a similar shot the ball before, which ended in an inside edge onto his body. His dismissal left India at 191 for 6, still trailing by 283 runs. Despite efforts from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar later in the day, India’s position remained precarious.
Gavaskar, known for his emphasis on disciplined batting, highlighted Pant's reliance on unorthodox strokes. “It seems like he only believes in scoring runs through unconventional and attacking shots. At the Test level, this approach won’t always work. If this is how he plays, he cannot bat at No. 5—he needs to bat lower down the order,” he said.
Gavaskar, who was on live commentary with ABC Radio at the time of Pant’s dismissal, expressed his frustration in no uncertain terms. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he exclaimed. “You’ve already missed the previous shot, and with two fielders in the deep, you still go for it? That is throwing your wicket away and letting your team down badly. You cannot hide behind the excuse of it being your natural game.”
Pant’s dismissal, Gavaskar emphasized, reflected poor situational awareness and cost India at a critical juncture in the match.
Updated on 28th December, 2024 by MyFortune11 Team