Rishabh Pant is facing a backlash for his bold and unwise shot-selection at a crucial juncture during India’s stiff run-chase in the Boxing Day Test against Australia on Monday, which triggered a batting collapse that led to a defeat when the visitors at one stage seemed to be taking the match towards a draw.
The reckless nature of the Indian wicketkeeper’s performance in this series, which also cost India his wicket in the first innings at Melbourne, has incensed the fans who expressed their anger on social media.
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Was it fair to criticize Rishabh Pant for his shot selection in the Boxing Day Test?
Despite initially showing restraint whilst batting alongside opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pant squandered his wicket after establishing himself at the crease, leaving India in a precarious position.
The duo stitched together a valuable 88-run partnership for the fourth wicket, following the dismissals of India’s premier batsmen Rohit Sharma (9), KL Rahul (0) and Virat Kohli (5) in quick succession.
Pat Cummins responded to Pant and Jaiswal’s fight by introducing Travis Head’s part-time spin into the attack. The tactical change proved successful for Australia, as Pant fell into the trap by attempting a pull shot off a delivery that was not short enough.
It resulted in a miscued hit wide of long-on, where Mitchell Marsh completed a smart catch to end Pant’s resilient innings of 30 runs from 104 balls.
The collapse, thereafter, saw India losing their last seven wickets for just 34 runs to succumb to 155 all out, as Australia won by 284 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the five-Test series.
The fans vented their anger on social media platform X after the match:
Reacting to Pant’s dismissal and shot-selection, India captain Rohit Sharma said, “Obviously we’ve lost the game, everybody is disappointed about how things panned out…But again, look, Rishabh Pant, obviously he needs to understand what is required from himself.
“More than any of us telling him, it’s about him understanding and figuring out what’s the right way to go about it. In the past, he has given us a lot of success doing what he does. As a captain, there’s a kind of mixed reaction to that.”
Pant has had a poor run in this Border Gavaskar Trophy, scoring just 154 runs in 7 innings for an average of 22.00.
“Sometimes you want to back that thought of him playing the way he plays (and) sometimes when things don’t look good, it frustrates everyone. That is what it is, that’s the reality. It’s the success and failure – need to be balanced about it,” Rohid added.
“It’s about him figuring out what is the right way to do things, it’s about situations as well. Certain situations of the game, if there’s a risk percentage, do you want to take that risk? Do you want to let the opposition come back into the game? Those are the things he needs to figure out himself.”
