“Requires skills to pull off a reverse sweep in a Test” - Joe Root hails Rishabh Pant
England captain Joe Root praised Rishabh Pant for his fantastic hundred, which turned the fourth India vs England Test on its head. Root also admitted that Rishabh Pant’s 113-run partnership with Washington Sundar put the visitors on the backfoot.
India were struggling at 146 for 6 in their first innings in Ahmedabad before a brilliant ton from Pant lifted India, the highlight of which was a reverse sweep off James Anderson.
Speaking at the press conference after losing the Test series 1-3, Root admitted:
"It was a frustrating way to finish the game. We were very much in the hunt and credit to Washington (Sundar) and Rishabh (Pant) for that outstanding partnership, which made it very difficult for us. The way he (Rishabh Pant) bats, makes it difficult for the bowlers to build pressure on him. It requires skills to pull off a reverse sweep in a Test and it was very brave of him. He is such a difficult player to keep quiet. We came across some brilliant batting at that stage.”
Rishabh Pant and Sundar featured in a fantastic seventh-wicket stand to rescue India from a precarious situation. While the aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman was out for 101, Sundar (96 not out) was unlucky to miss out on a maiden Test ton as he ran out of batting partners.
Rishabh Pant made his opportunity count, England did not: Joe Root
Dissecting the reasons behind their defeat, Root explained that England did not capitalize on their chances while India made the most of the ones that came their way. He said:
"I do think there were periods in the game where India managed to grab the opportunities they had and generally in-low scoring Test matches, that is a difference. Look at this game, India was 100-odd for five wickets and Rishabh walked out and made that opportunity count for some wonderful moments.”
Summing up England’s loss, Root said that they were out-skilled by the hosts in these conditions.
"It was disappointing, I will give credit to India as again they out-skilled us, they have definitely out-skilled us. They bowled really well and batted well too. We have to try and find out ways to be better in similar conditions in the future," said Root.
After allowing India to post 365 in their first innings, England again faltered with the bat against India’s spinners. Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin claimed five wickets apiece. India won the Test by an innings and 25 runs, thus securing their berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.