India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant showcased his fearless and unconventional shot-making at the Adelaide Oval on Day 2 of the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia. His daring strokes behind the wicket stunned the opposition, fans, and experts, especially given India’s challenging position in their second innings.
Pant came to the crease with India at 66-3 in the 15th over, facing a dominant Australian bowling attack under the lights with the pink ball. Undeterred, he began his innings with confidence, stepping out against Scott Boland and lofting a boundary over the off-side infield off his very first delivery.
Among his highlights was a reverse ramp played early in his innings, which saw him fall to the ground while watching the ball sail over the slip cordon. Pant continued attacking until the close of play, striking boundaries late into the day. He remained unbeaten on 28 off 25 balls as India reached 128-5 at Stumps on Day 3.
Sunil Gavaskar commented that Pant’s ability to play such bold and risky shots stems from the security of his lucrative IPL contract, which shields him from the consequences of failure with Team India.
The wicketkeeper recently secured a record-breaking ₹27 crore deal with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the 2025 IPL Auction, making him the league’s highest-paid player.
“Very entertaining, no question about it. But you mustn’t forget, in the old days, there was no alternative to Test cricket; if you didn’t play Test cricket, you went back to Ranji Trophy, you went back to club cricket, and that was it.”
“When you have a cushion like the IPL, like the contract system, you can play this way. So what if you get dropped from the Indian team, you have the IPL,” Gavaskar said in the post-match show on Star Sports (via Hindustan Times).
Rishabh Pant was dismissed for just 1 in the first Test in Perth after attempting an aggressive approach against Nathan Lyon. Stepping down the pitch to attack Lyon on only his fourth delivery, Pant misjudged the ball as it turned away, leading to a stumping by Alex Carey.
“He can but he won’t” – Sunil Gavaskar hailed Rishabh Pant as India’s game changer on Day 3
India face a daunting challenge after losing five wickets late on Day 2. With a massive first-innings deficit of 157 runs, they remain 29 runs behind and have most of their specialist batters dismissed. Rishabh Pant will begin Day 3 alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy, with Ravichandran Ashwin and the lower order yet to come.
When fellow broadcaster Mark Nicholas asked Sunil Gavaskar if Pant could turn the game around for India, the legendary batter responded:
“He can but he won’t.”
India’s narrow series lead is under serious threat, with Australia dominating the pink-ball Test from the outset.
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