One of the biggest turning points for the Indian cricket team in the World Test Championship’s Final against New Zealand was the dismissal of the young and talented Rishabh Pant.
Just before he entered the Indian dressing room after his dismissal, Pant punched the thick wooden door hard with his bare-knuckled right fist. He himself was very angry with his dismissal. Pant had got out while attempting to slog Trent Boult.
The magnificent catch taken by Henry Nicholls went in vain as it didn’t get much attention it deserved. Rishabh Pant played a powerful knock on the reserve day of the WTC Final against New Zealand before he decided to charge against Trent Boult. His wicket became the talk of the town as following his dismissal, the Indian cricket team lost all the wickets in quick successions. Also, a debate has been going on about Pant’s bold approach. Several cricketers and pundits have given their opinion on the matter.
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra, in his latest video on YouTube, expressed his disappointment over Pant’s approach in the tough situation, when his team needed him to play more sensibly. Aakash Chopra said:
“Rishabh Pant was batting like a millionaire. There was a question there, is it just my way or the highway or is this just the way Rishabh Pant bats. Or was Rishabh Pant trapped in his own reputation that Pant bats like that?”
He added:
“We have seen him bat extremely well, seen him excel. We remember the Sydney Test match where he hit a century earlier and now the 97 he made. We remember the Gabba Test where he made 89 not out. We talk about the two centuries against England, one at the Oval and the other in India. We have seen match-winning knocks from him but not seen him bat like this there,”
Furthermore, talking about the shot selection of Rishab Pant, Aakash Chopra expressed his disappointment. He said:
“To step out and hit the fast bowler, he doesn’t even do this in the IPL. In IPL history, he has actually done it only once. He stepped out to Shivam Mavi and hit him for a six. He does give the bowlers a beating but in a different fashion. On this day, he was jumping out and swinging his bat.”
