Gill, Pant Played Mind Games By Speaking Loudly In Hindi During Bashir's Spell: Sachin Tendulkar

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Shubman Gill (147) and Rishabh Pant (134) added 209 runs for the fourth wicket for Team India in the first innings of the ongoing first Test against England in Leeds.
India's Test captain Shubman Gill and his deputy Rishabh Pant scored centuries in the first innings of the ongoing first Test between India and England in Leeds. Gill scored 147 runs from 227 balls during his first Test innings as the No. 4 batter, and Pant, with the help of 12 fours and 6 sixes, scored 134 runs from 178 balls. The duo added 209 runs for the fourth wicket, and during their stand, they played mind games with England spinner Shoaib Bashir by speaking loudly in Hindi.
Legendary Indian batter and former captain Sachin Tendulkar took to X on Saturday (June 21) to share a tweet in which he mentioned the smart tactic used by the duo.
'Rishabh's falling paddle sweep is not accidental. It is intentional and extremely clever. Going down with the shot allows him to get under the ball and scoop it over leg slip with control. Also noticed something interesting during Bashir's spell. Shubman and Rishabh were speaking loudly in Hindi between deliveries. It wasn't just casual talk. They were playing mind games with the bowler, trying to disrupt his rhythm. These minor details may not appear on the scoreboard, but they can have a significant impact on the game," Tendulkar tweeted.
Pant creates history
Pant entered his name in the history books on Saturday by becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter to score seven centuries in Test cricket. He went past MS Dhoni's tally of six centuries. Dhoni played 90 Tests for India from 2005 to 2014 and crossed the 100-run mark six times, whereas Pant has seven centuries to his name now in 44 Tests.
Of his seven Test centuries, Pant has scored three in England, which is a record for most Test centuries by a non-English wicketkeeper-batter in Test matches played on English soil.
Pant hammered six sixes for India in the first innings, and it first helped him break Rohit Sharma's record of most sixes by an Indian batter in the WTC and then go past Dhoni's tally of 78 sixes to become the third leading six-hitter for India in the five-day format of the game.
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Cricketnext Staff
Location :
Leeds
First Published:
June 21, 2025, 23:00 IST