Indian batter Rishabh Pant is widely regarded in world cricket for his offensive strokeplay and aggressive intent on the field in all game formats. The left-handed batter was considered one of India’s greatest to have stepped on the Aussie soil, as he was the anchor of several stellar innings during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Pant faced a huge setback in his career with the horrifying accident he faced in 2022. Ever since his return to Test cricket in 2024, Pant has once again been back in some form for the Indian team. However, in this ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rishabh Pant has been criticized for his bad shot selection and nonsense choices that led him to compromise his wickets on several occasions.
However, at the SCG, the left-hander, just like several of the other Tests, made a good start to his innings, as Pant converted his start off to a decent 40 before he finally got out to Scott Boland- the speedster who excelled ever since he had the ball in his hand.
Pant, during his brave innings, had to face some hostile pace bowling from the Australian trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Scott Boland. Pant was hit on his shoulder, helmet, forearm, and ribs several times, and the batter seemed to struggle with these blows as sometimes it led him to immense pain and discomfort. Among them, a speeding ball 143 kmph from Mitchell Starc, who oozed fire this morning, had the biggest impact on Pant when he was hit majorly on his biceps by the big bird.
Nitish Reddy falls for a golden duck; Jadeja’s firm resistance is ended by Starc
NK Reddy, the centurion from the first innings of the last test at the MCG, was dismissed for a golden duck, as he fell in the very next ball after Rishabh Pant got dismissed.
Pant and Jadeja, who put on a big stand, were dismissed by Boland, as he was the 5th Indian wicket to fall, while Nitish Kumar Reddy, the in-form all-rounder, couldn’t tackle an in-swinger that swung back sharply at him, and he was caught at second slip by Steve Smith.
Jadeja, who continued a partnership alongside Washington Sundar, was dismissed when Mitchell Starc pitched a full-length delivery right in front of the stumps that trapped the veteran all-rounder plumb right in front of the wicket.
