Watch: Rishabh Pant sledges Zak Crawley, England opener gets out next ball
Rishabh Pant's antics behind the stumps have been one of the talking points of the ongoing India-England Test series. His cheeky comments have been mighty effective in disturbing the opposition batsmen's concentration. Another victim of the same was England's Zak Crawley.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel got the better of Crawley in both innings of the third Test. So the England opener tried to be positive against Patel and looked to use his feet in the ongoing fourth Test. However, he wasn't able to time the ball well.
Rishabh Pant saw this as a golden opportunity to play mind games with Crawley. The 23-year-old said from behind the stumps, "someone is getting angry now," pointing out the opener's frustration at being unable to get on top of Patel.
Eventually, Zak Crawley lost his cool and tried to thump the spinner over mid on the very next ball. However, he could only top-edge it straight into the hands of Mohammed Siraj at mid-off.
Here is the video of Rishabh Pant's sledging affecting Zak Crawley:
Jittery start for the visitors
The visitors only have themselves to blame this time and not the pitch, for having already lost three quick wickets. Joe Root won the toss and opted to bat first, trying to make the most of decent batting conditions.
Axar Patel was yet again the nemesis for England as he first cleaned up Dominic Sibley, who played for the turn and got done by a straight ball. Zak Crawley would also be gutted by his questionable shot selection.
After safely negotiating the remainder of the first hour of play, both skipper Root and Jonny Bairstow were trying to build a solid foundation for the visitors. But Siraj trapped the England captain right in front and pushed the visitors further into the abyss.
With Ben Stokes new to the crease and Bairstow looking out of touch, Team India would certainly want Rishabh Pant to continue with his chatter from behind the stumps. The 23-year-old's extra energy on the field has certainly given the hosts a lift.