Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed Rishabh Pant for his ill-advised shot selection during India’s first innings against Australia on the third morning of the MCG Test.
Pant, who had appeared to be in good touch with 28 runs off 37 balls, fell victim to an unorthodox shot that led to his dismissal, drawing sharp criticism from Gavaskar.
Resuming the day at 164 for 5, Pant and Ravindra Jadeja were steadily rebuilding India’s innings when Pant attempted a risky scoop off Scott Boland.
The shot, aimed at the leg side, took a leading edge and was caught by Nathan Lyon at deep third man.
Gavaskar, speaking on Star Sports during the lunch break, called the shot “terrible” given the match situation and field placement.
"I think earlier on, when there had been no fielders around, that’s when he’s attempted these shots, that is understandable because you're taking a good chance," said Gavaskar.
"That [the shot] was supposed to go to the leg side, but it went to the off side. It actually tells you maybe there was a little bit of bad luck involved, but it was a terrible selection of a shot to play at that particular point, with two fielders stationed at deep square-leg and deep point," he added.
The wicketkeeper-batter’s dismissal came after a similar attempt on the previous delivery, which he mistimed and barely managed to keep out.
The former legend, visibly frustrated in live commentary for ABC Radio, labeled Pant’s approach as reckless.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," was Gavaskar’s immediate reaction. "You've got two fielders there, and you still go for that shot, having missed the previous one. And look where you’ve been caught. You’ve been caught at deep third man. That is throwing away your wicket. Not in the situation India was in. You have to understand the situation. You cannot just say that’s your natural game. I’m sorry, that’s not your natural game. That’s a stupid shot. That’s letting your team down badly!"
Gavaskar further elaborated that while Pant’s attacking instincts can bring valuable runs, his over-reliance on unorthodox shots is a concern in Test cricket.
"It just appears that’s the only way he thinks he can score runs," Gavaskar said.
"So, if he’s not going to score runs the orthodox way, and only thinks he can go down the pitch, hammering the ball over long-on, or just looking to play these shots, then at the Test level, you can’t always succeed. If that’s the case, then he can’t bat at No. 5; he has to bat down the order."
Pant’s dismissal left India struggling at 191 for 6, still trailing by 283 runs.
However, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar later stabilised the innings, giving India a fighting chance as the day progressed.
- Sunil Gavaskar
- Rishabh Pant
