Pant was dismissed following a similar attempt on the previous ball, which he mistimed and narrowly missed. Gavaskar was plainly frustrated and stated his anger, calling the approach reckless.
Sunil Gavaskar, former India captain, has sharply criticized Rishabh Pant for his stupid shot selection during India’s first innings on the third morning of the MCG Test against Australia.
Pant, who was looking comfortable with 28 runs off 37 balls, was dismissed after a poor shot, prompting heated remarks from Gavaskar. At the start of the day, India was 164 for 5, and Pant was working with Ravindra Jadeja to rebuild the innings. Pant, on the other hand, paid the price for his reckless scoop off Scott Boland.
The shot, targeted at the leg side, took an edge and was caught by Nathan Lyon at deep third man. Gavaskar, speaking on Star Sports during the lunch break, described Pant’s shot as “terrible” considering the circumstances of the match and field placement.
“I think earlier on, when there had been no fielders around, attempting these shots is understandable because you’re taking a chance,” Gavaskar told reporters. “But that shot, at that point, with two fielders already in the deep, was a terrible selection. It actually tells you that there was some poor luck involved, but the shot choice was incorrect,” he said.
Pant was dismissed following a similar attempt on the previous ball, which he mistimed and narrowly missed. Gavaskar, evidently upset, showed his anger by labeling the approach reckless.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” Gavaskar exclaimed immediately. “You have two fielders there, yet you still go for that shot despite missing the prior one. And see where you were caught. That’s throwing away your wicket. Not in the scenario that India was in. You must grasp the circumstance. You can’t simply claim that’s your natural game. I apologize; that is not your natural game. That was a stupid shot. He added, “That’s a huge letdown for your team!”
Gavaskar went on to say that while Pant’s attacking instincts are good, his over-reliance on unorthodox strokes is a major problem in Test cricket.
“It just seems like that’s the only way he thinks he can score runs,” says Gavaskar. “If he doesn’t want to score runs the traditional way and instead believes he can get down the pitch or play these unconventional strokes, he won’t always succeed at the Test level. If that is the case, he cannot bat at No. 5; he must bat lower down the order, he stated.
Pant’s dismissal left India battling at 191 for 6, losing by 283 runs. However, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar eventually stabilized the innings, giving India a fighting chance as the day ended.
