Stupid no more: Sunil Gavaskar in awe of Rishabh Pant's measured Leeds knock

India Today

3 hours ago

Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was in awe of Rishabh Pant's measured innings against England on Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. Pant played an unbeaten innings of 65* (102), with a perfect blend of caution and aggression as he took India in a dominating position along with captain Shubman Gill.He began his innings in his usual fashion by going after Ben Stokes on just his second ball as he used his feet and whacked him for a four straight down the ground. However, post that, the southpaw showed great restraint by not going after Shoaib Bashir, scoring just 16 runs off his next 44 balls.advertisementHis measured approach earned him plaudits from Sunil Gavaskar, who's criticised his approach in the past during the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. However, on this occasion, Gavaskar praised Pant for pacing his innings well and taking advantage of the bowlers when they're tired.
'It seems like that's how he plays. When he comes in to bat, on the second or third ball, he often uses his feet and hits a boundary. It makes him feel free and then allows him to play the way he wants. Over here, he's been measured in his approach—giving himself time out in the middle. But once he's in and the bowlers start to tire, that's when he begins to step down the pitch and really attack, hitting big shots, sixes, and boundaries,' said Gavaskar on Sony Sports.advertisementFurthermore, Gavaskar also extolled Pant for his defensive technique against the fast bowlers, mentioning his big hundreds in overseas conditions.ENG vs IND 1st Test Day 1 Highlights'Because he gives himself that time early on, it becomes easier for him to play those aggressive strokes later. When he defends, he seems to have so much time against the pace bowlers—it almost looks like he's taking the mickey out of them, saying, "Look, I've got all the time in the world; I don't need to play a big shot, I'm just middling the ball. He's got enormous talent. I've seen him score hundreds in South Africa and Australia, and they've been absolutely unbelievable. There's such a great blend of defence and attack—starting with solid defence and then shifting to attack,' he added.Pant scored his second boundary on his 48th ball, which was through an outside edge against Chris Woakes. He finally began to attack Shoaib Bashir after 60 deliveries as he pulled him for a four and later used his feet to whack him for a six in the following over. He brought up his fifty off 91 balls and also completed 3000 runs in Tests.Must Watch