Melbourne, Dec 28
Amidst the severe criticism for Rishabh Pant over the rash shot leading to his dismissal in the ongoing Boxing Day Test, former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel offered a different view, saying if one can praise Pant’s ultra-attacking approach, then they shouldn’t have a critical view on him falling in that fashion.
On day three of the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, against Scott Boland in the 56th over, Pant had tried playing a falling scoop shot but inside-edged the ball to his stomach and fell on the ground. Australia skipper Pat Cummins had placed fielders in the deep at fine leg and third man in case Pant repeated that shot. It did happen that way as, on the next ball, Pant tried the same shot, but to his horror, this time the top-edge went to Nathan Lyon at deep third man. The left-handed batter was dismissed for 28 off 37 balls, leaving India at 191/5 and trailing Australia by 283 runs, though they managed to avoid the follow-on.
In his Test career, Pant has garnered a reputation for making runs through unorthodox stroke play, but his dismissal in Melbourne reopened the debate over whether that shot was appropriate given India’s situation. Sunil Gavaskar expressed his frustration, slamming Pant for letting down India by throwing away his wicket. Parthiv Patel had a different perspective, although he also felt the shot wasn’t suitable for the situation during the first session’s play.
“There are two sides to it,” Parthiv noted. “When Rishabh Pant stepped out to play a blazing shot in the Adelaide Test, we were cheering for these strokes. Then we saw the reverse scoop and a few more strokes in his arsenal. My view is, those who praised Rishabh Pant’s approach at that time don’t have the right to criticize him for the shot he got out on because this is how he bats.”
He continued, “Plus, whenever he gets out, he will look this way and questions will always be raised over it. Yes, I do agree that it wasn’t the shot as per what the situation demanded, but this is how Rishabh Pant plays. We also need to see if this approach from Pant has helped India win matches or how many times it has assisted India in tough situations.”
Parthiv emphasized that if Pant is getting out in such ways consistently and costing the team, then it warrants discussion. “In today’s game, the shot wasn’t suitable for that situation. But when you shower praise on his approach and say he plays differently—executing reverse sweeps against fast bowlers for boundaries—he will also get out similarly. An assessment should be made based on a larger sample size.”
He also pointed out an element of restlessness when Pant and Ravindra Jadeja were running between the wickets during their 32-run stand for the sixth wicket. “This is how he will play his shots, and if we criticize him for playing these kinds of shots, we shouldn’t appreciate it when it comes off in the future,” he said.
“Keeping this shot aside, there was an element of restlessness in running between the wickets by Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja. The confusion was evident when they attempted singles and had mix-ups that almost led to a run-out. With Australia’s pacers consistently hitting their areas, there wasn’t an intention of surety when rotating the strike, which caused confusion multiple times. Plus, that shot which Pant played was also influenced by the lines and lengths Australian bowlers were bowling at, and he may have thought about rattling them with it to put pressure back on them,” he concluded.