India were in all sorts of trouble on Day 2 of the Adelaide Test when Rishabh Pant came up with his own pyrotechniques. He launched a six off his first ball to Scott Boland, a pacer who was almost unplayable till then. While the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had no answers to the menacing Australian pace attack, Pant was in his own element. While Pant was on song, India kept losing wickets from the other end. Currently, they have just 5 wickets remaining and a trail of 29 runs to cover.
IND vs AUS: What did Gavaskar say on Rishabh Pant’s batting?
However, former Indian great Sunil Gavaskar had his own perspective on Pant’s “entertaining” batting. He divulged that the southpaw is being able to bat such flamboyantly only because he doesn’t have any fear of getting dropped. Gavaskar compared his time to Pant’s, saying players now can play in the IPL even if they fail to be consistent with the national team.
“Very entertaining; no question about it. But you mustn’t forget, in the old days, there was no alternative to Test cricket; if you didn’t play Test cricket, you went back to Ranji Trophy, you went back to club cricket, and that was it. When you have a cushion like the IPL, like the contract system, you can play this way. So what if you get dropped from the Indian team? You have the IPL,” Gavaskar said in the post-match show on Star Sports after the end of Day 2 in Adelaide.
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“Pant won’t change the 2nd BGT Test”?
Also, according to Gavaskar, who is part of the commentary panel for the BGT, Rishabh Pant “won’t” change the outcome of the Adelaide Test. Currently, the visitors are floundering at 128/5, with a trail of 29 still hanging. Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy will come out to bat on Day 3, and India’s hopes hang on their shoulders. Pant, unbeaten on 28 off 25 balls, and Nitish Reddy’s 15 off 14 balls were the bright spots at the end of the second day.
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar expressed cautious optimism about Pant’s ability to engineer a turnaround. When asked if a magical innings from Pant could spark a comeback, Gavaskar opined that, while nothing is impossible, he remains sedate that nothing special would happen. Mark Nicholas, fellow expert, queried, “Can Pant turn this around tomorrow?” Gavaskar’s response was pragmatic: “He can, but he won’t.”
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