Team India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant stunned the cricketing world by playing two outrageous shots during England’s tour of India earlier this year. The southpaw played a reverse-scoop off veteran speedster James Anderson. Then during the five-match T20I series, the left-hander meted out the same treatment to the Barbados-born Jofra Archer.
Recently, the legendary South African fast bowler Dale Steyn has opened up on the same. He reckoned that it would have been embarrassing for him had Pant played those shots against him. The 37-year-old stated that he would have responded with a short-pitched delivery in such a scenario.
Dale Steyn was also of the opinion that Rishabh Pant may not want to show the same audacity while playing outside India.
“Is it still in the rulebook, can I roll the ball down the pitch because I would feel that embarrassed to run in and bowl another ball, but I can tell you that he would know where I am bowling the next ball, and that’s gonna be a short ball. That’s 100%,” Dale Steyn was quoted as saying in a Q & A session with ESPNcricinfo.
“That’s disrespectful to do that kind of reverse scooping stuff. What he did to James Anderson to India, I doubt he will do it anywhere else in the world, but at that time, he looked red-hot and he was batting in such good form. I think he did it to Jofra Archer also. It’s arrogance at its best. It is amazing,” he stated.
Rishabh Pant will be pivotal for India in the WTC final 2021
Rishabh Pant has been on an impressive run of form in the World Test Championship. The southpaw has accumulated 662 runs from 11 matches at an average of 41.37, including a century and four half-centuries.
He also played an important part in Team India retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia earlier in the year. Pant played an impressive innings of 97 runs in the Sydney Test and a match-winning knock of 87 runs to breach the Gabbatoire to help India lift the trophy.
No wicketkeeper has scored more runs than Rishabh Pant in Test cricket since his debut against England in 2018 🔥🇮🇳#India #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/KWjlRsLOrq
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) June 9, 2021
With prior experience of playing in these conditions, the cricketer from Delhi will look to continue his rich vein of form in the crucial game. The 23-year-old made his debut at Trent Bridge in 2018 before hitting a century in only his third Test match. Pant played an outstanding knock of 114 runs off 146 balls at the Kennington Oval.
