Rishabh Pant notched up his fifth Test ton when on Friday he took apart the English bowling attack in their home conditions at Edgbaston, and propelled India from a precarious position to one where they could actually set up a victory.
Pant’s blitz which yielded him 146 runs off only 111 balls included him walloping 20 fours and 4 oomph-filled sixes before finally succumbing to one shot too many against off-spinner Joe Root.
Rishabh Pant trolls the England team in style
3 of his 5 Test tons have came against England, including his first one on his debut trip in 2018. Aside from the these, the 24-year-old has also scored 91, 58*, and 50 against the Three Lions.
During the post-day press conference, when asked why he scores heavily against England, with a smile Pant hilariously said: “Opposition toh pasand hai actually, (I do like playing against the opposition),” following up with a more serious tone, “but in every match, I try and give my 100 per cent and I focus on my cricket, nothing else, and the results follow.”
What did Pant and Jadeja discuss about
India were pushed back early by the English pacers – James Anderson bagged three while Matthew Potts took two, leaving the visitors tottering at 98/5 when Ravindra Jadeja joined Pant in the middle.
In contrasting manners, both hurt the hosts – Pant with his free-flowing strokes and frequent boundaries while Jadeja with his composure and stoicism as the pair conjured up a stand of 222 runs stand off 239 balls. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 83 off 163 balls with India’s total at stumps 338/7.
When asked what was the discussion between him and Jadeja, Pant said that their main focus was to only build a partnership and not let an individual take up the pressure.
“The discussion was to build a partnership (when Jadeja joined him at the crease). In the team meetings also, we do talk about this; when there is pressure not to take it individually, but look at it from a team’s perspective and start building small partnerships.
“The pressure was there after we lost 3-4 wickets early on, but if you focus on the pressure, you might not get the result; so, I try to focus on the process and I am getting the results,” said Pant.
