"Main bol raha hoon, DRS le le bhai" - 5 times Rishabh Pant aced the call for a review
Team India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant is well renowned for his flamboyant style of batting and athleticism. The 24-year-old, however, has arguably not been the best exponent of the Decision Review System (DRS).
As a wicket-keeper, Pant often has the best eyes on the situation in front of him but has made a few gaffes with respect to reviews. The fact that he burst onto the scene with an exceptionally high standard set by his predecessor, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, hasn't helped things either.
Despite his earlier fumbles, the youngster has seemingly improved over time when it comes to judging when to use the DRS. A captaincy stint with the Delhi Capitals (DC) has helped him assess the situation better and he has emerged as a future leadership candidate for Team India as well.
Here are five instances where Rishabh Pant aced the DRS call:
#1 Rishabh Pant vs Dhananjaya de Silva | IND vs SL D/N Test - Bangalore, 2022
In the second Test of the home series against Sri Lanka, India elected to bat first on a rank turner in Bengaluru. Led by Shreyas Iyer's resilient 92 and a quickfire 39 from Rishabh Pant, the hosts posted 252 on the board, getting bowled out just before the end of the day's play.
The Indian seamers made the ball talk under the lights in the Day Night Test as Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah struck thrice in the first five overs. The hot streak continued as Shami swung the ball back in to trap Dhananjaya de Silva in front in the 12th over.
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"Main bol raha hoon, DRS le le bhai"
Rishabh Pant overriding Rohit's gut feel and getting it right with Dhananjaya's dismissal!
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The Lankan batter failed to negate the swing and was struck on the pads. While the umpire ruled him not out despite a loud appeal, Rishabh Pant strongly urged skipper Rohit Sharma to take a review. The ploy worked as the decision was overturned, leaving Sri Lanka at 28/4.
Pant then went on to strike the fastest Test fifty by an Indian batter in the second innings as India secured a convincing 238-run win.
#2 Pant vs Darren Bravo | IND vs WI 2nd ODI - Ahmedabad 2022
During the home series against West Indies earlier this year, Rishabh Pant was asked to open the innings in the second ODI in Ahmedabad. The youngster could not make much of an impact with the bat but made amends while India were defending 238 in the second innings.
In the first ball of the 10th over, Prasidh Krishna bowled a back of a length delivery to Darren Bravo, who seemed to have missed it. However, a sharp noise prompted Krishna and Pant, who collected the ball cleanly, to send out a vocal appeal.
While umpire Nitin Menon stood unfazed, the wicketkeeper convinced skipper Rohit Sharma to take a review. The Indian skipper did so with just five seconds left on the timer. Ultra Edge showed a prominent spike, forcing the umpire to reverse his decision.
The Men in Blue notably went on to win the contest by 44 runs.
#3 Pant vs Zak Crawley | IND vs ENG 1st Test - Trent Bridge, 2021
India toured England for a five-match test series last year. While it took over 10 months for the fixtures to be completed, the Virat Kohli-led side played some good cricket across the initial four Tests.
England opted to bat first on a testing Trent Bridge surface under overcast conditions in the first Test and were made to pay straightaway. Jasprit Bumrah struck in the very first over to dismiss Rory Burns for a duck.
🤪@mpl_sport @naga220 Then the way when Virat Kohli tried to touch the feets of Pant after a successful DRS call was pure gold❤️🤪
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India were desperately on the lookout for a breakthrough after the duo of Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley held the fort for the next 20 overs. In the third ball of a Mohammed Siraj over, Crawley appeared to have nicked the ball.
The right-arm pacer encouraged skipper Kohli to go for the review, but it remained in England's favor after no edge was found.
In the final delivery of the same over, Siraj bowled yet another inswinger which again passed the batsman with a noise. Kohli was understandably skeptical of taking yet another review, having just blown through one a couple of balls ago.
However, Rishabh Pant was right in the skipper's ear, adamant that his judgment was correct.
Kohli eventually went for a review and replays showed that there was an edge, giving India their second breakthrough of the session.
#4 Pant vs Kieron Pollard | IND vs WI, 1st T20I - Florida 2019
Rishabh Pant's early days in national colors, having just taken over from MS Dhoni, were rife with pressure. The Delhi-born batter had huge shoes to fill especially with respect to DRS calls.
In the first T20I against the West Indies in Florida, the Men in Blue turned up with a superb bowling performance to reduce the batting side to 95/9 in their 20 overs. In the final over of the innings, debutant Navdeep Saini bowled a full toss which hit the pads of Kieron Pollard.
The Indians responded with a meek appeal, assuming that there was an inside edge. Pant, however, thought otherwise and advised skipper Virat Kohli to go for the review.
Replays went on to show that there was no inside edge, which meant Pollard had to walk back after scoring 49.
#5 Pant vs David Warner | DC vs SRH - IPL 2020
The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was forgettable for Rishabh Pant as he struggled for consistency with the bat. While the Delhi Capitals (DC) made it to the final for the first time, the wicket-keeper only scored 343 runs at an average of 113.95.
However, he received plenty of laurels for his work behind the stumps. One such instance came in a league-stage encounter with SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) as he stepped up with a smart DRS call.
After DC opted to bowl first, the overseas opening pair of Jonny Bairstow and David Warner provided SRH with a solid start. In the 10th over, the Australian opener went for a reverse sweep but seemingly failed to connect with the ball.
Warner was adjudged not out but bowler Amit Mishra stepped up with a highly vocal appeal. Rishabh Pant, who had pouched the ball with some sharp reflexes, signaled straightaway for the review, even though Shreyas Iyer was in charge of the side.
Replays showed a spike when the ball was in contact with the glove, prompting the umpire to change his decision.
Has there been a noticeable improvement in the wicket-keeper's DRS management? Let us know what you think.