NEWS
Follow UsRishabh Pant’s reverse ramp certainly did not earn him a friend in Sunil Gavaskar after his 37-ball 28 in the first innings of the MCG Test. The former Indian batter went on a rant, calling Pant’s shot ‘not acceptable’, stating that the left-hander needs to apply more technique and play as per the merit of the situation.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” was Gavaskar’s reaction during his radio stint on ABC Sport.
“You’ve got two fielders there, and you still go for that,” Gavaskar added.
But a day later, Gavaskar explained the rationale behind the outburst, stating that Pant’s mindset that he can only score runs is wrong.
“I’ve seen him play some fabulous innings, Rishabh Pant. But here in Australia, I get the impression he thinks that’s the only way he’s going to score runs here. He’s stepping down the pitch, lofting the ball, and getting a boundary. But that’s not always the way he scored runs in the past. Of course, he has played those shots, which have been outrageously good. But it looks like he’s doing that … I’ve seen him play the cover drive along the ground very well. The square cut, the pull shot he plays so well, the flick off the pads. Everything he’s got,” Gavaskar said on day four.
“So, therefore, to take a little bit of risk at that stage was a little too much,” he added.
The former Indian opener also reckoned that he got egged because of Pant’s lackadaisical attitude.
“Honestly, this game has made me. Indian cricket has made me. So when I see somebody as talented as Rishabh Pant play that shot ….and I had no problems with the first shot he played. The reason why I got upset was the ego took over for the next ball. I’ve just been hit in the midriff attempting a similar shot. I’m gonna show the bowler who’s the boss. Test cricket is not easy.”
“When he got out and got out at other end …and I was always saying that they have got two fielders there in the deep. And this is a big ground it’s not easy to hit the sixes. You’ve got the fielders in the catching position. Deep square leg and deep fine leg. But when he got caught in third man with the edge…” Gavaskar lamented.
