Why was Rishabh Pant reluctant to walk back after being given out?

Rishabh Pant played a superb knock in the second innings against New Zealand in Mumbai, scoring a counter-attacking 64 off just 57 deliveries with nine fours and a maximum punctuating his innings. With 55 runs needed in the post-lunch session, Pant, who had already scored a fifty, was going to be key for India if they wanted to avoid a whitewash.

Things were going to plan, as Pant and Washington Sundar picked up a single of every ball of Glenn Phillips' first over. Ajaz Patel, who already had four in the innings, was hunting for yet another fifer at the Wankhede. 

Pant welcomed him with a four through long-on and then another boundary, this time through square-leg a couple of deliveries later. However, off the next ball, there was a huge appeal as Pant, charging down the track, pushed at a delivery which ballooned up in the air straight to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell after seemingly taking the inside edge of Pant's bat.

Screenshot courtesy: JioCinema

The question was if there was a glove or a small inside edge on it. New Zealand had just one review left, and given that it was Pant, Tom Latham decided to take risk and go upstairs. 

There was a spike on the ultra edge, but the question was: did the ball hit the inside edge, onto the pad and then pop up to the 'keeper OR did the spike occur because the bat hit the pad? Pant thought it was the latter, but third umpire Paul Reiffel, whose opinion is what matters, thought it was the former, and Pant was adjudged out. He had enough evidence to take that call, evidently.

Pant tried to convince the on-field umpires that the spike was due to his bat hitting the pad, but the decision was out of the umpires' hands. As a result, Richard Illingworth was forced to overturn his decision, leaving Pant to walk back reluctantly with the match hanging in the balance. 

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