Under the gloomy skies of Edgbaston, Rishabh Pant took another leap into greatness. He undoubtedly made India the first day of the series-deciding in a staggering exhibition of counterpunching, scoring 146 off 111 balls.
For most of the day, the match was in the grip of England’s iron. As veteran James Anderson and fledgling Matthew Potts struck together to reduce India to 98/5, Pant and Ravindra Jadeja put on a combined 222 runs to not only put India out of danger but also put them on the climb. When the pair parted, India had galloped and scored 320 runs.
It’s starting to become a recurring theme – the shabby team, the series on the line, the bowlers running with their tails up and then a short, slightly fat, cheerful young man who, without any tension, without uncertainty, without any pressure, Changes the match. Coolness was redefined to MS Dhoni, but his face became intensely fiery, those eyes gleaming with determination.
,@RishabhPant17 He scored 146 runs to complete his 5th Test century and was our top performer from day one #Engwind Edgbaston Test. I #teamindia
summary of his knock pic.twitter.com/31d1j8yBgo
— BCCI (@BCCI) 1 July 2022
Pant has at least redefined the limits of coolness set by Dhoni in Tests. He emits none of that scorching intensity. He bats with a jovial, light-hearted demeanor, as with his chums for Sunday evening’s club game, against the most prolific swing bowler of all time or the fiery young bowler around. got ready for After running down the field and waving Anderson down for a boundary, he was seen joking with the pacer, which was hitherto unimaginable for Pant’s eyes to get accustomed to.
Rishabh Pant, beautiful! I
Is there any more exciting Test cricketer in the modern game?! I
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— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) 1 July 2022
Anderson was sublime again, but Pant did not spare him. The fourth ball he faced, in another disastrous second off Anderson, the left-hander slid to the ground and tried to bring it to the screen. He failed, then smiled and later, repeated those strokes. Later, Pant reverse-scooped the swing-bowling colossus for a couple, then missed an almighty hev-ho, almost swinging himself off his feet. Fearlessly, he hit her with a four on the head.
No one can stop Rishabh Pant
One 2️⃣2️⃣ run in the 61st over and it’s time for carnage
Tune in to Sony SIX(ENG), Sony TEN 3 (HIN) and Sony TEN 4 (TAM/TEL) – (https://t.co/tsfQJW6cGi)#ENGvINDLIVEonSonySportsNetwork #Engwind pic.twitter.com/S5IYkq1Pzk
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) 1 July 2022
When your spearhead bowler is treated with such blatant disdain, the rest of the morale is shattered like a balloon pricked with a needle. Matthew Potts, Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes, and least of all Jack Leach knew how to stop him, at least get involved. How ridiculous it seems that Stokes patted Leach like a noose. Prior to this game, Pant had conceded 88 runs in 57 balls from the left-arm spinner. During his fifth Test century, he hit him with five fours and a six. The move backfired as it provided an irresistible pace to Pant.
Petition to add the word pentastic to the list of adjectives in the Oxford English Dictionary
— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) 1 July 2022
Leach’s lynching included – 20 off four balls – soon after Pant completed his century. The 10-run knock in the last Test against New Zealand might have looked like it happened centuries ago.
all in one day’s work
But Pant’s most striking quality is that he counterattacks some of the world’s fastest bowlers – from Anderson to Kagiso Rabada, Pat Cummins to Mitchell Starc – in what appears to be a ridiculously normal, or even weird, routine in Test matches. A classic example was when Potts used to rumble right after tea. The first was a lifter who beat him. Potts shouted; Pant fled. Pant responded with two fours in the next three balls, destroying a drive between mid-off and cover to make room for himself and hit him through point. Broad was run through covers before tucking for a couple runs to complete a sensational century.
Pant was a lot like the pinnacle of Gilchrist – from unhinged stroke-play to his unnatural ability to sense a moment, seize it and snatch the game from opponents, his ability to put a smile on his face and absorb pressure even in the face of adversity. capacity of. Many unqualified pretense have been made to compare him to Gilchrist. Ridiculous as it may sound, Pant is the closest to anyone around him. There have been many great wicket-keepers during and after Gilchrist – Kumar Sangakkara was without a doubt a legend, so Dhoni and Brendon McCullum were among the creeps – but none embodied the free-spirit. Gilchrist like Pant, or like him, enthused the audience. Without burden, without pain, without any complications.
4️, 4️⃣, 6️
One-way traffic leech fight in Pant so far
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— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) 1 July 2022
Behind the outer layer of glitz and audacity lies not only self-confidence but also a calculating mind. Pant doesn’t try to reverse-scoop every ball that comes in front of him; Nor does he slash every ball outside the off-stump. If one looks at each innings again – the pace is more or less the same, then the shots he plays are the same. Initially, he tries to upset the bowler with a stroke of audacity, before settling down. Then for 30-40 balls, he plays only percentage cricket – runs full balls, chopping off the parts close to the stump with the flick of his wrist – before expanding and unpacking his entire repertoire. His game may have unconventional tension, but primarily, he plays conservative strokes. The finesse of his defensive technique often went unnoticed – unlike most allies, he had time to defend, whether it was leaning forward or retreating. Broadly speaking, he sensibly left the balls outside the off-stump.
Pant is the most awaited Indian batsman in the middle after Kohli’s poor form. Hope, hope and belief that something special will come out. He would get angry at times – he’s still only 24 – but on gloomy days like Edgbaston, he spreads the light.
