Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar applauded explosive wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant for his smart innings on Day 2 of the second Test match between India and England and said that Pant was calculating when he should be hitting and when he should be taking a single.
Carrying his fabulous form from the last match Rishabh Pant notched up yet another fifty-plus score as hosts ended their first innings for a total of 329 runs.
Proceeding with the overnight score of 300 runs, Team India kept losing wickets on regular intervals at one end, however, Rishabh Pant on the other end counter-attacked spinners, Moeen Ali and Joe Root, to bring up his quick-fire half-century.
Pant was left deserted at 58* after hosts were bowled out for 329, but his innings received much praise from fans and cricket pundits including former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar.
Addressing Rishabh Pant’s half-century former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar praised Pant and said that the latter was very smart about the way he went today in his innings.
IND v ENG 2021: WATCH- Virat Kohli goes ‘whoa’ as Rishabh Pant smacks Joe Root for a humongous six
“Another half-century from him, he was very smart about it. Very because he lost Axar Patel pretty soon," Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Gavaskar pointed out that Rishabh Pant read the situation very well and attacked at the right time and added that pant was not hitting blindly and was calculating when to hit and when to take single.
"But then he decided he would go after Moeen Ali, converted deliveries into full-tosses, and clobbered them and get to a half-century.
On a pitch like this, he would not have lower-order batsmen stay with him for long, so he read the situation so well, that he attacked it at the right time, was pushing the last couple of deliveries for a single, and keep the strike.
“Very good thinking, and it's so nice to see in a youngster. He was not just hitting it blindly. He was calculating when he should be hitting and when he should be taking a single," he concluded.
Replying to India’s score of 329, visitors found themselves in trouble as they were reduced to 87/6 at the end of 39 overs.
(Star Sports inputs)
