Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was gushing in praise for the ‘mesmerising’ Rishabh Pant following the latter’s half-century in the second innings of the ongoing Edgbaston Test vs England, carrying on the momentum from his first-innings century.
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Both times India had lost early wickets for not too many runs and both times Pant managed to take India to a safer position. His 57-run knock, coming in 86 balls, including 8 fours but no sixer, helped take India’s lead past 300.
On Monday, Pant became only the second Indian wicket-keeper to record a century & fifty in the same Test after Farokh Engineer’s effort of 121 & 66 vs England in Mumbai in 1973.
Pant hits a century and fifty in same Test match
Adding his 146 from the first innings, Pant’s eventual tally in the game was 203. Irfan Pathan took to Twitter to commend the 24-year-old left-hander for stepping up in this all-important fifth Test of the series, where India need to avoid a loss in order to register their first Test series win on English soil since 2007.
“This test match belongs to Rishabh pant. 200 runs in the most important test match of the series and that too came at a time when team India was under the pump. #mesmirising[sic],” Irfan Pathan tweeted.
Here, check out Irfan Pathan’s special tweet in praise of Pant:
This test match belongs to Rishabh pant. 200 runs in the most important test match of the series and that too came at a time when team India was under the pump. #mesmirising
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) July 4, 2022
Having clattered 146 runs off 111 balls in the first innings – also when he bailed India out of trouble – this knock was a bit un-Pant. He showed great self-control when Joe Root was given the ball not long after the left-hander had arrived at the crease. Root had dismissed Pant in the first innings when he edged a slog.
After the fall of three wickets, he came in at the fag end of Day 3 and saw India unscathed along with Cheteshwar Pujara. He batted with the same patience and self-control on the morning of Day 4 – leaving balls outside off-stump while also taking regular boundaries.
He was actively taking singles and twos and barely looked out of control. He brought up his fifty in 76 balls (13 less than in which he had raised his century in the first innings), glancing Stuart Broad toward the fine leg fence and hoisted his bat to huge applause from the crowd and the Indian dressing room.
The sight of Jack Leach, though, saw Pant show some aggression, as on the first ball he faced off the spinner, he moved way outside off to sweep him behind square. However, Leach finally had his man, as Pant edged a reverse-sweep to first slip where Joe Root took a sharp catch.
India were bowled out for 284, giving England and their Bazball approach a target of 378.
