Rishabh Pant (Image credit: BCCI)
New Delhi: The stage was set for a memorable century for Rishabh Pant, but the Indian wicket-keeper-batsman chose to throw away the opportunity. Pant, who was removed as India’s vice-captain before the series with the role handed to KL Rahul, fell for 81 off 121 balls when he miscued an attacking shot and was caught at mid-wicket by Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.The former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman’s dismissal drew criticism from all quarters
Saba Karim
He said Pant looked in complete control for most of his innings and was surprised to see him leave like that.
Karim also believes that Pant’s dismissal on day two of the one-off Test against Afghanistan at Mullanpur was more a result of fatigue and dehydration than poor shot selection, after the left-hander’s impressive innings came to an end on 81.“I was expecting a big hit from Rishabh Pant as he looked in control, despite that unreviewed outside edge,” Karim told Jio Hotstar.The former national team felt that Pant’s physical condition in the extreme heat may have contributed to the dismissal.“However, I felt that before he was sacked, he was starting to lose energy. It seemed like he didn’t have much gas left in the tank. He needed some treatment from a physiotherapist, and I think he was dehydrated.
“So maybe it was due to poor concentration more than anything else,” he added.“You rarely see Rishabh Pant hit a big shot when both long-on and long-on are positioned on the boundary. He was simply trying to accelerate but didn’t get the right ball to play that shot,” he said.He added: “Because when he decides to go big, he is usually very decisive with his footwork and the distributions he chooses to attack.”Pant’s innings played a key role in announcing India’s first innings total of 564/8, helping the hosts tighten their grip on the match despite being 19 runs down on what would have been his seventh Test century.
