Pant tried to respond against a well-organised English pace attack after India lost captain Shubman Gill to Brydon Carse in the opening over of the day. During a pivotal moment in the first session of Day 4 of the first Test match against England at Headingley, Leeds, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik voiced his displeasure with Rishabh Pant’s unconventional shot selection.
Karthik, however, thought Pant’s strategy lacked the necessary forbearance and game knowledge, particularly during a period when India needed to unite.
“I don’t believe that was a percentage shot given the circumstances and the state of the game. The chances were undoubtedly not in his favour, yet I am aware that he received the outcome. It doesn’t make sense to me to play a slog sweep against a bowler who is bowling 130 clicks—140, actually,” Karthik stated on TV.
“Whatever Rishabh Pant is doing is not working, if I was KL Rahul, all I would tell him right now is to play the way we want instead of telling him be careful or don’t play this shot, I don’t think those messages sit with him,” he stated.
The wicketkeeper-batter charged down the pitch to take on Chris Woakes in an attempt to disturb the bowlers early in his innings. But the pacers from England swiftly changed tactics, bowling from around the wicket and focussing on his body.
Pant was uneasy with the rigid line and length after being hit several times.
It was heard that Pant struggled to remain calm in the face of such tight bowling. On the very next delivery, he reacted violently, stepping out to slam Woakes to the ground.
Pant tried a slog sweep in Carse’s next over but was only able to get a top edge. Before the ball safely landed in no man’s land and trickled away to the boundary, it flew high behind the stumps and swirled in the wind. Pant persisted in his daring strokeplay, which included a signature scoop shot that resulted in his usual unconventional fall.
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