Pant reached his seventh Test ton in 146 balls against England at Headingley.
Rishabh Pant slammed a measured century during India’s first innings in the ongoing Headingley Test against England on Saturday (June 21).
The wicketkeeper-batter began his innings in typical fashion by going after Ben Stokes on just his second ball as he used his feet and hammered the England captain for a boundary straight down the ground. However, post that, he showed displayed restraint, scoring just 16 runs off his next 44 balls.
With a perfect blend of caution and aggression, Pant ended the opening day at 65* (102 balls), guiding the visitors to a dominating position along with skipper Shubman Gill.
On Day 2, the southpaw was quite severe on the English bowlers as he reached his seventh Test ton in 146 balls. He was eventually dismissed for 134 off 178 balls by Josh Tongue.
Shared his thoughts on Rishabh Pant’s innings, former India head coach Ravi Shastri highlighted that the ‘outrageous’ left-hander has a clear understanding of his playing style.
“What do you say about Pant?! I used the word outrageous yesterday, and nothing has changed. He plays the numbers game beautifully and plays the way he wants. He will block for a bit and then decides he has to go after the bowler and shift gears."
“He has his own computer and only he knows how it works. That’s his USP. That’s what puts bowlers under pressure and makes him box office, a real entertainer and a match winner," Shastri was quoted as saying on Sky Sports during lunch break.
India squandered the advantage on Day 2 to be bowled out for 471 in their first innings. The visitors lost their last seven wickets for 41 runs.
Apart from Pant, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) and skipper Shubman Gill (147) scored centuries for India at Headingley. Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes scalped four wickets each for England.
Shastri reckoned another hour of batting after lunch would have been more ideal for the tourists.
“Clearly India would have wanted to be in a position where they could have batted for another hour, an hour and a half after lunch," Shastri said.
“Having said that, the run rate is like India are playing Bazball cricket, so the tempo makes it even. They have runs on the board, so they will hope it stays overcast and the ball swings. If it swings, they have the attack and the experience," he added.
Riding on Ollie Pope’s unbeaten hundred (100*), England ended the second day at 209/3, trailing India by 262 runs.
(With inputs from IANS)