South Africa have dominated India in the second Test in Guwahati.
India’s stand-in captain, Rishabh Pant, was seen scolding his bowlers for not showing urgency in the ongoing second and final Test against South Africa. This match is being played in Guwahati and sees the visitors having a huge advantage with a lead of over 517 runs.
South Africa had posted 489 in their first innings and bowled India out for 201 runs. They have made 229 runs in their second innings at the time of writing this article, with a lead of 518 runs.
Rishabh Pant is not having a fantastic debut as India's Test captain. While the planning and execution are not going smoothly, the captain cuts a disgruntled figure on the field because his bowlers are not following the timer.
Notably, in the 48th over of South Africa's second innings, Pant was recorded in the stump mic reprimanding Kuldeep Yadav.
“Pehla ball daal de yaar, aisa mat kar yaar, baar baar nahi bolunga main yeh,” Pant told the left-arm wrist spinner, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
The entire point of this chat was that Pant did not want to receive another warning for starting over late.
Ravi Shastri, who was currently commentating, mirrored Pant's comments.
“You can hear what Rishabh Pant is saying from the back. It can be frustrating. He has been warned for the amount of time taken between overs. As a bowler, you should know your field. You can’t come in there and then start moving people around. One look should be enough for the fielder to know where he should be, rather than you gesturing every two balls. And a warning comes between overs; when there is time taken, you need to bowl that first ball. That’s what Rishabh is saying,” Shastri said on commentary.
Notably, under the ICC stop-cock rule, the fielding team has 60 seconds to prepare to bowl the next over. If they are late, they are given two warnings, and if it happens again, the batting side receives five penalty runs.
Pant was visibly upset by how long Kuldeep was taking to start an over, even in the first innings. He continuously asked his bowler to at least bowl the first ball without worrying about the field locations. Kuldeep Yadav appears to have failed to learn from his blunders in the first innings, as he was observed taking his time again before starting an over.