In the second session of Day 4 of the second Test of the current five-match series between England and India, Rishabh Pant’s thrilling 65-run innings came to an end. Shoaib Bashir again dismissed the southpaw, this time near the distant fence. The bat slid out of Pant’s hands and landed close to midwicket as the ball went towards Ben Duckett at the boundary.
Pant lost his form when attempting to hit the ball over the fence, and the dip and lack of speed on the shot were the decisive factors. Josh Tongue had dropped his bat earlier in the day while bowling, so this wasn’t the first time Pant has lost it while trying to make the big shot.
See the expulsion of Rishabh Pant here:
Rishabh Pant’s bat has gone flying again 🙈
But this time the ball goes straight down the throat of Ben Duckett at deep mid-off. pic.twitter.com/gXMl1kzUDY
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 5, 2025
Pant’s quick hit, meanwhile, included three sixes and eight fours. Remarkably, this was the third time in this series that the off-spinner had removed the wicketkeeper-batter. Every one of those balls was delivered at a speed below 80 kmph. India, who are currently trying to maximise their lead and have as many overs as necessary to bowl out the hosts, lost Pant as their fourth wicket.
For the fourth wicket, Pant and captain Shubman Gill formed a partnership of 110 runs off 103 balls. As captain Gill appeared more than willing to rotate the strike and let Pant play the boundary shots, the left-hander was the most aggressive of the two. Following a record-breaking 269-run knock off 387 deliveries in the first innings, Gill will be looking to score a tonne in the current innings.
India
