New Delhi: Sunil Gavaskar was livid as he ripped into India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant following his horrible dismissal in the visitors’ first innings of the ongoing 4th Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne. Gavaskar called Pant’s shot ‘stupid’ as he slammed the wicket-keeper batter for his poor shot selection with the team under pressure.
The dismissal took place in the 56th over of India’s first innings during the first session on Day 3 of the Test match. Pant had done well playing conventional cricket and was batting on 28. However, a reckless shot saw him perish against the bowling of pacer Scot Boland. Boland bowled a full delivery around off and Pant got caught trying to play a scoop shot.
Pant, known for his unorthodox shots in Test cricket, has often found success with his aggressive batting style. However, his shot selection against Boland left fans and experts questioning the wicket-keeper’s temperament and game sense. Pant was caught by Nathan Lyon at deep third man after not managing proper connection with his scoop shot.
— Sunil Gavaskar (@gavaskar_theman) December 28, 2024
Sunil Gavaskar rips into Rishabh Pant
Gavaskar was furious in the commentary box as he lashed out at Pant for his reckless shot, labelling it ‘stupid’. The former India skipper criticised Pant’s understanding of the game situation and slammed him saying he should not be going to the Indian dressing room after getting out in the manner that he did with the team needing him to stay in the middle.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid! You have two fielders there, you still go for that shot. You have missed the previous shot and look where you have been caught. You have been caught at deep third man. That is throwing away your wicket. Not in the situation that India was,” Gavaskar said on air.
“You have to understand the situation as well. You cannot say that that’s your natural game. I’m sorry that is not your natural game. That is a stupid shot that is letting your team down badly. He should not be going in that dressing room. He should be going to the other dressing room,” he added.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” 😡
🏏 Safe to say Sunny wasn’t happy with Rishabh Pant after that shot.
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Pant looked far from confident right from the start of play on Day 3 as he resumed India’s 1st innings alongside Ravindra Jadeja. The wicket-keeper batter was almost caught twice at the slips after playing poor shots while also surviving a couple of run-out attempts. He looked settled as the game progressed but ended up throwing away his wicket with a horrific shot.
Nitish, Sundar lead India’s fightback
After Pant’s dismissal, India also lost Jadeja cheaply on 17 before all-rounders Nitish Reddy and Washington Sundar combined to lead India’s fightback on Day 3. Reddy and Washington slammed half-centuries apiece to add a 100-plus run stand for the 8th wicket, helping India comfortably breach the follow-on mark while also closing in on Australia’s first-innings total of 474 runs.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar ripped into India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant after the left-hander got out playing a reckless shot during India’s first innings of the ongoing 4th Test against Australia at the MCG. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
