ENG vs IND: Rishabh Pant Makes Mockery of England Attack to Give India a Strong Headstart
ENG vs IND: For a moment forget about Rishabh Pant the white-ball player and just admire what he accomplished in the red-ball format. What was all the fuss about Pant’s poor form and that he needs to reflect on his batting? Pant silenced all his critics in just about 2 hours on day 1 of the 5th Test against England at Edgbaston. India was in a deep hole at 98/5 when the left-handed arrived at the crease. He was expected to be under pressure after a poor T20I series against South Africa at home. Pant was coming to England on the back of a below-par IPL as well. The southpaw accumulated 340 runs across 14 innings, his lowest accumulation of runs since 2017. Learn how to bet on cricket at top rated, real money, trusted betting sites in India offering competitive odds on teams online.
There was enough assistance for fast bowlers due to the cloudy conditions. Pant being Pant, danced down the pitch and smacked James Anderson for a boundary to make his signs clear that he is not gonna hang around. Not that the Delhi Capitals skipper can’t grind his way. We have already witnessed a fighting century from the very special player against South Africa at Cape Town early this year. But this time around Pant trusted his instincts rather than holding himself.
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ENG vs IND: Rishabh Pant and his liking for Jack Leach
The flood gates opened when Jack Leach was introduced in the attack. Pant smashed 14 runs in the left-arm spinner’s first over, including two fours and a six. Well, it was a repeat of what happened in the 2021 series at home. Pant scored 88 of 59 balls against Leach when England toured India last year. But England wasn’t flustered one bit because skipper Ben Stokes wanted Pant to go after Leach and mistime one in the process. Aggression is a double-edged sword, if it’s working out it will hurt the opponent or will push your team further on the back foot. In this case, though it was a mix of caution and aggression. Pant continued to attack Leach and trusted his defense when the pacers were operating in tandem.
Stokes’ punt of using a left-arm spinner against a left-hander failed miserably as the 25-year-old gave away 71 runs in just 9 overs. It is noteworthy that the same bowler took a ten-for in the last game against New Zealand. Hence, Leach would have come into this match oozing confidence. But he was left shattered, to say the least. And with the blink of an eye, Pant was batting on 53*.
After tea, the sun was beating down and shining brightly on India. Pant became more audacious and started to bring out his reverse sweeps and switch hits out of his closet. Pant reverse ramped James Anderson. Fortunately, he made enough contact to get it over the slip cordon for a couple of runs. He did play this shot against Anderson in India, but the circumstances were completely different. Stay tuned for our 100% FREE betting tips and match guides from our professional betting tipsters.
Pant smashed the fastest century by an Indian wicket-keeper
Pant’s sheer audacity is something to behold. He just went on overdrive and tried to hit every ball out of the park. He also took full advantage of a tired Matthew Potts who was England’s second-best bowler of the day. And what about the nervous ’90s asked Pant when he smashed Leach four consecutive boundaries to bring up a mind-boggling hundred of just 89 balls. It was the fastest century by an Indian wicket-keeper in Tests, breaking MS Dhoni’s 17-year-old record.
The former Indian skipper smashed a 93-ball century against Pakistan in 2006. It was also the fastest century by an Indian against England in Test cricket. Pant also became the fourth Indian wicket-keeper batter to score two centuries in a calendar year. But only one among the four to do it away from India. Such was the innings from Pant that we hardly mentioned Ravindra Jadeja’s name who was a perfect foil to the youngster. The left-handed duo added 222 runs, the highest sixth-wicket partnership for India against England away from home. Pant’s whirlwind innings finally came to a close on 146(111) laced with 20 fours and four maximums.
Imagine! India finished the day at 338/7 after 17 overs were lost in rain. It appears to be a tie, but India will take it considering the innings were going nowhere after the fall of Shreyas Iyer. In fact, 338 is the highest accumulation of runs for India on the first day of a Test match in England. Pant and Jadeja have not allowed India to claw their way back into this game, but they have also harmed a lot of England’s newly found bowling confidence. With Jadeja still in the middle, India can hope for a total above 350. And a perfect stat to end the day. Since 2015, India has won 12 out of 14 Tests when they have scored 300+ in the first innings. Download one of the best online betting apps with a user-friendly design, and plenty of payment options, and enjoy all features and bonuses here on our site.
Pant has been India’s best red-ball player since 2021. The southpaw has amassed 1282 runs in 18 innings. Pant is expected to provide the entertainment in the white-ball format and sometimes he succumbs to that pressure by over-attacking. But in Test cricket, he has ample time to get set and counterpunch whenever he feels like doing so.