"You will call that stupidity and not bravery" - Gautam Gambhir lambasts Rishabh Pant for his dismissal in the 2nd India vs South Africa Test
Gautam Gambhir has criticized Rishabh Pant for playing a "stupid" shot that led to his dismissal in India's second innings of the Johannesburg Test against South Africa.
Pant was dismissed for a duck off the third delivery he faced. He danced down the track to play a big shot off Kagiso Rabada's bowling, only to get an edge and be caught behind the wickets.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir did not mince words while lambasting Pant. He said:
"Unbelievable, you will call that stupidity and not bravery. The way Rahane and Pujara got you back in this Test match, you have given it back to South Africa. This is not Test cricket. There is a very thin line to call yourself brave."
The former India cricketer highlighted that the shot was unwarranted, especially when Kagiso Rabada was nearing the end of his spell. Gambhir explained:
"If you had hit a six as well with that shot, you would still not have called that an excellent shot. Test cricket is all about handling pressure and you knew that Rabada was bowling his fourth or fifth over."
"No excuses for that shot. None of that nonsense of 'oh that's his natural game'. There's got to be some responsibility shown, because there are other guys like Pujara, Rahane taking blows." - Sunil Gavaskar on Rishabh Pant's dismissal. #INDvSA
Team India had just lost the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara when Pant walked to the crease. Rabada, who dismissed both Rahane and Pujara, was in the seventh over of his spell and bowled just one more over after getting rid of Pant.
"The sort of shot Rishabh Pant played, it is not acceptable in Test cricket" - Gautam Gambir
Gautam Gambhir was also asked if the chat with Rassie van der Dussen regarding the latter's dismissal the previous day might have affected Pant's concentration. He replied:
"Whatever happened yesterday, it was not Pant's fault. It was the umpire you should have referred it to the third umpire. But the sort of shot Rishabh Pant played, it is not acceptable in Test cricket."
The cricketer-turned-politician concluded by saying that Pant could have taken the match beyond South Africa's reach if he had stayed at the crease for a little while. Gambhir observed:
"This is what the bowler and the fielding side wanted. You also need to see against which bowler you are taking that chance, that too after stepping out on this wicket. It was necessary to absorb pressure. If you had scored 25-30 runs from there, probably the game could have become one-sided."
Rishabh Pant is on a poor run with the bat in Tests since the WTC final.
#India #SouthAfrica #SAvIND https://t.co/NqtLMTTkvZ
Pant's dismissal handed over the advantage to South Africa after the visitors had made an excellent start to the third day's play. The Proteas then bowled out the KL Rahul-led side for 266 runs and have made a great start to their run chase, requiring a further 122 runs with eight wickets in hand.