‘Taking his position for granted’ – Rishabh Pant’s shot gets Virat Kohli’s dreaded stare and netizens’ troll
Rishabh Pant has tasted quite a bit of success with his belligerent display of batting while representing India at the highest level. But the same approach has led to his downfall plenty of times due to which he has faced a lot of criticism. In India’s third game of their three-match ODI series against South Africa, Pant threw his wicket away through erratic stroke-making.
Chasing 288 at the Newlands in Cape Town, India lost KL Rahul early to Lungi Ngidi. From there on, Shikhar Dhawan and former skipper Virat Kohli steadied the ship for the Men in Blue with a crucial 98-run stand for the second wicket off 18.1 overs. Andile Phehlukwayo removed Dhawan, who scored a 73-ball 61, to separate the ominous-looking duo.
Rishabh Pant getting out to a rash shot
The onus was then on Pant to carry on the good work along with Kohli. The left-hander came out with intent and tried to take on Phehlukwayo right from the word go. In the very first ball he faced, Pant danced down track and tried to smash the right-arm pacer over the off-side. The seamer pitched the ball wide outside the off-stump, asking Pant to reach out.
Pant got bat to ball, but couldn’t find proper timing and thereby ended up giving Sisanda Magala a simple catch at sweeper cover. Not only did Pant fetch a golden duck, but the dismissal also brought about a double strike for the Proteas and Phehlukwayo. At that point in time, the visiting team needed 170 runs to win with the required rare climbing up to 6.29.
Pant showed his skills in the third Test and the second ODI where he got scores of 100* and 85 respectively. But the tour didn’t quite end on a delightful note for him. The fans, in the meantime, lashed out at Pant for throwing his wicket at a critical match situation. The netizens reckoned that the southpaw should have been a bit more circumspect.
