Pant threw his wicket away for 39 off 62 balls on Day 2 of the Galle Test.
India cricketer Mohammad Kaif questioned Rishabh Pant's basic cricketing logic after the wicketkeeper-batter threw his wicket away for 39 off 62 balls on Day 2 of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle.
Kaif’s primary frustration stems from the situational context of the game. Sri Lanka had just taken the second new ball at the start of the 81st over. Instead of assessing the conditions and seeing out the initial movement, Pant chose to dance down the track on the very first delivery he faced from debutant off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha. He mistimed the aggressive hoick, resulting in a catch at mid-off.
Kaif highlighted that even set batters who are well past a century respect the arrival of a new ball, and "common sense" dictates playing carefully for five to six overs.
"I have no complaints about the way Rishabh Pant got out. He plays like that only, but the complaint is about common sense. It was the first over with the new ball. He jumped three times in that over. Common sense means play the cut shot. See the new ball for five to six overs. This is the Test match tradition. Whoever plays like him also uses common sense," Kaif said on Sony Sports.
"I was surprised that he jumped on the first ball (of the over). One needs to calculate a little. Even if a batter is on 150, he also plays out a few balls when the new ball comes. I am cutting a few marks there. He was left way behind in logic and cricketing sense," he added.
Coming to the match, India’s first innings folded for 462 early in the morning session on Day 3. Devdutt Padikkal stole the show with 167, while KL Rahul contributed 82 and Dhruv Jurel added a valuable 51.
Prabath Jayasuriya was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka, returning with the figures of 4 for 109 in his 39 overs.
In reply, the hosts were reeling at 99/5 at lunch on Day 3, with India’s spin trio of Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja combining to dismiss four batters.