Rishabh Pant Pant was sent off in a Test match for the eighth time in the 1990s. The Indian dressing room was distraught when he left on 99.
Rishabh Pant (99) missed out on a century for the fourth time, coming agonisingly short after Sarfaraz Khan’s departure for 150, as New Zealand regained control by holding India to 438 for six at tea on Saturday. India lead New Zealand by 82 runs, an unthinkable situation after being knocked out for 46 in their first innings, but New Zealand remains in the driving seat in the series opener.
Ravindra Jadeja (4) was at the crease after the second session began late at 1.50pm due to inclement weather. KL Rahul (12) fell behind at the time of the tea break.
Pant was forced to leave a Test match for the seventh time in the 1990s. The Indian dressing room was distraught when he left on 99.
Pant had missed the entire third day due to a blow to his knee sustained during “keeping,” so seeing him walk out to bat in the opening session was comforting in and of itself.
It was to be expected that Pant started off a little cautiously. He even got into a mix-up with Sarfaraz, which was only avoided by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell’s errant throw at stumps.
Pant was unstoppable after he got over that point, clobbering left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel for a couple of sixes.
Before the rain stopped him, the left-hander quickly reached his fifty off just 55 balls with a powerful cover drive off Glenn Phillips.
Despite the interruption, Pant seemed confident as he launched a couple of sixes over the covers off left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra.
He experienced a few nervous moments, but DRS kept him safe both times—once from an appeal for a caught-behind and once from an appeal for a bat-boot catch.
Nevertheless, he continued to focus despite such hiccups and eventually started playing the shots that were only made at the Pant production facility.He waltzed and twirled about the wicket to explore every angle, and the bowlers from New Zealand struggled to find the right length and line to take him.
The best illustration of this was an incredible slog-swept six off Tim Southee, which flew over the mid-wicket boundary as the pacer attempted to pitch it full in an attempt to get swing.
Sarfaraz, on the other hand, chugged to a 150 after scoring his first-ever hundred in a Test match during the day’s first session, a milestone he joyfully celebrated. He elegantly and gracefully twirled around the wicket to explore every angle, leaving the bowlers from New Zealand completely bewildered as to how to best line and length their deliveries against him.
A fantastic slog-swept six off Tim Southee, which flew over the mid-wicket boundary as the bowler attempted to pitch it full in an attempt to find swing, was the best example.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Sarfaraz celebrated his first-ever Test hundred with unabashed glee during the day’s first session, chugging to a 150. His batting was also unconventional, as he used a variety of late cuts to score runs. In that way, the Mumbai man’s gruff batsmanship is similar to Pant’s.
However, both of them left in rapid succession as the Kiwis clamped down on India’s free-scoring tendencies.
Pant was passed on to William O’Rourke, while Sarfaraz handed Southee to Ajaz Patel. KL Rahul’s expulsion pushed India farther back.
