IND vs SL LIVE: Gautam Gambhir- MS Dhoni Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir lauded Rishabh Pant for his exquisite innings against Sri Lanka on Day 1. He lauded his crucial 96 and also put weight behind his 90 nervous performances. He even compared Pant to MS Dhoni’s World Cup-winning knock saying such innings help win tournament or series victory while centuries give you headlines. Follow India vs Sri Lanka LIVE updates on InsideSport.IN
He also recalled the crucial innings of Pant in and around the 90s that helped India defeat Australia in their backyard.
IND vs SL LIVE: Gautam Gambhir compares Rishabh Pant’s 90+ to MS Dhoni’s World Cup-winning knock- check why?
“The stats that you showed right now, it shows that centuries give you headlines, 90s give you tournament or series win. Because those 90s helped you in Sydney and Brisbane and helped you in winning the series. And this same 90 that helped MS Dhoni win the World Cup,” he told Star Sports.
Pant equalled Dhoni for the most 90s by a wicketkeeper. The latter was also dismissed in the 90s five times. The 24-year-old will be disappointed to not get his 5th Test century. After he was dismissed by Suranga Lakmal, he paused for a moment with his head down. He realised what a big opportunity he missed.
Most scores (Five) in the 90s after first 49 Test innings
- Clem Hill
- Gordon Greenidge
- Alvin Kallicharran
- Rishabh Pant
Pant (96) missed the opportunity to become the first Indian wicket-keeper to hit back to back Test 100s
Remember he hit 100* at Cape Town in Jan 2022#IndvSL #IndvsSL— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) March 4, 2022
Rishabh Pant 1st inngs scores in home Tests
92
92
91
58*
1
101
96
Gambhir praised Pant’s knock and the manner in which he handled Sri Lanka’s bowling to ensure India were in a commanding position before the second ball was taken.
“What mattered to me was the manner in which he played the second phase of his knock. That is what you call smart cricket. He knew that there weren’t many overs left for the new ball to be introduced. And their premier fast bowler was injured then. That is why he chose to attack the left-arm spinner and the off spinner because Karunaratne wouldn’t have brought his fast bowlers then. So that was smart cricket for me because he assessed the conditions and made most of the opportunity to put India in dominant position. So those second half of his knock was very important to me,” he added.
Gambhir himself had played the knock of 97 in the 2011 World Cup Final.
IND vs SL LIVE: Gautam Gambhir compares Rishabh Pant’s 90+ to MS Dhoni’s World Cup-winning knock- check why?
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