Rishabh Pant, India's stand-in skipper, faced widespread criticism on Monday after being dismissed in India’s first innings of the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati.
India had begun day 3 on 9/0, and after a first wicket partnership of 65, lost KL Rahul for 22, and Yashasvi Jaiswal followed soon after for 58 runs. Then India suffered a collapse, losing Sai Sudharsan (15), Dhruv Jurel (0), Rishabh Pant (7), and Ravindra Jadeja (6) in quick succession.
With India already struggling at 105 for 4 in response to South Africa's formidable 489, Pant's choice to charge down the pitch and attempt a slog proved fatal.
Faced with a delivery bowled at a hard length from MarcoJansen, Pant swung through a booming hit, only to edge the ball past the wicketkeeper. To make matters worse, he quickly requested a DRS review despite obvious evidence of a deflection, squandering one of India's limited referral opportunities.
The dismissal pushed India deeper into crisis and sparked a wave of resentment online. Fans flocked to social media to express their outrage, labeling the shot irresponsible and accusing Pant of missing the game awareness expected of a captain.
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