India was tottering at 98-5 on a sun-kissed afternoon in Birmingham. A wicket there and it would have been curtains for the visitors. India was scoring at a rate of 2.5 per over. It was going nowhere for them against an aggressive England outfit. The series could well have been decided if not for one man. Here in this article, we talk about the Rishabh pant show against England.
The man is called Rishabh Pant!
Did England play into India’s hands?
There has been a lot of chatter about how England has revolutionized Test cricket. It took England just two Tests for the English media to paint a picture of a red ball reset. The hype has been unreal about how England will set the gauntlet right from ball one. They seemed so confident that they elected to field after winning the toss. Ben Stokes stated his side likes chasing hence the decision. It was another sign of bravado, but one did get the feeling that they were pushing it too far.
The decision almost proved to be right, well almost:
Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara fronted up to face the new ball in trying conditions. Gill showed great intent but his innings was short-lived. Hanuma Vihari and Cheteshwar Pujara then went into an ultra-defensive mode. Both departed soon.
Virat Kohli looked assured but departed for 11 poking at a harmless delivery at the last moment. Shreyas Iyer walking in at number 6 looked to counterattack. But a sharp short ball caught him unawares. India was reeling at 98-5. India was in a hole. A big one at that!
And then the magic happened!
It was Ravindra Jadeja who kickstarted the partnership in top gear. He charged Jack Leach to loft him over long-on. Rishabh Pant on cue took over from him to launch a stunning assault. He was bold but not brazen, he was fearless yet careful. Pant knew it was up to him to take India to a position of authority. They had challenged for honours in the second session. It was time for the all-important charge.
The fifth yet the best!
Pant showcased his full range as a batter. He played shots all around the ground. His driving was crisp, his cuts ferocious, and his hitting the ground flawless. Pant raced to an 89-ball 100, the fastest by an Indian wicketkeeper. He launched into Leach smashing him for 22 runs in a single over. Rishabh Pant eventually departed for a 111 ball-146. It was an innings of the highest class. Pant served England a taste of their own medicine. If the talk leading into the Test match was about Bazball, Pant showed who the master is!
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