India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant was the highlight on day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali on March 4, 2022. India’s 35th Test captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first.
The home side went in with three spinners in Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were the two speedsters. Virat Kohli was also playing his 100th Test match for India, becoming the 12th Indian and 71st overall to achieve this milestone.
Sri Lanka meanwhile chose to go in with only one frontline spinner in Lasith Embuldeniya and picked three pacers in Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando, and Lahiru Kumara.
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Rohit Sharma (29) and Mayank Agarwal (33) added 52 runs for the first wicket. After their dismissal, Hanuma Vihari (58) and Virat Kohli (45) added 90 runs for the third wicket. Shreyas Iyer looked good in his 27-run knock, but it was Rishabh Pant who slammed the Sri Lankan bowlers in the post-tea session.
He added 102 runs with Ravindra Jadeja (45*) for the 6th wickets in an almost run-a-ball partnership. Pant hammered the Lankan spinners Embuldeniya and De Silva, even taking 22 runs off one Embuldeniya over.
Just when it looked like Pant would go on to score his 5th Test ton, Sri Lanka opted for the second new ball and Suranga Lakmal got one ball to nip back just enough for Pant to play the wrong line and the ball dislodged the bail on the off-stump.
Rishabh Pant was crestfallen on getting out for 96 runs in which he hit 9 fours and 4 sixes in just 97 balls. This was his fifth score in the 90s in his short career.
India finished day one on 357/6, with Ashwin unbeaten on 10 with Jadeja. Embuldeniya picked 2/107 in 28 overs.
The cricket fraternity was all praises for Rishabh Pant’s entertaining knock and lauded him on Twitter.
Here are some tweets:
