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Sunil Gavaskar was absolutely livid with the way Rishabh Pant was dismissed on Day 3 in the fourth Test against Australia at the MCG. Gavaskar deemed Pant's shot selection as 'stupid', and 'shocking', criticising his decision-making.
Pant, who had been in complete control of his innings, effectively neutralising the bounce of Pat Cummins and Scott Boland, and even devising innovative ways to score runs against unconventional field placements, inexplicably lost his focus. Despite being struck on the ribs while attempting a falling flick off Scott Boland's bowling, Pant inexplicably repeated the same shot in the following delivery.
However, with fine leg, square leg, and third man positioned on the boundary, Pant's attempted repeat of the shot resulted in a top edge, leading to his dismissal at third man for 28 runs. This reckless shot selection drew sharp criticism from Sunil Gavaskar.
“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! He should not be going into that (India’s) dressing room - he should be going into the other dressing room!. "Shocking! Both the dismissal and running. No need for such runs and shots at this time. It could also be because of the way Australia have bowled, no free runs, no singles on offer. It's not T20 cricket or 50 overs cricket," he said on commentary." Gavaskar said on ABP Sport radio.
Sunil Gavaskar reacts on his 'stupid' remark for Rishabh Pant
Later, in an exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, batting legend Gavaskar revealed what triggered his reaction following Pant's dismissal. He clearly said that sometimes players need to leave their egos in dressing room when they walks into the field.
"I was annoyed with Rishabh Pant because he already suffered a blow on his body while attempting such shot which saw him lying on the floor. He should have controlled his ego after that. I mean I am not a psychologist, but I feel the same ego triggered him to play the same shot again. Players need to leave their egos in dressing room when they walk into the field. It hurts when you throw your wickets at such crucial juncture, especially when India needed a partnership, it wasn't required. When such things happen, it annoys you and the same thing happened with me. I have been repeatedly saying this, if any player prove me wrong, I won't disappoint me, in fact it will benefit the team," Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
When Pant returned to the hut, India were reeling at 191/6 while replying to Australia's 474. But then came Nitish Kumar Reddy who paired up with Washington Sundar to steady India's boat and rally them from a precarious position to 358/9. Nitish Reddy tonked his maiden ton to turn heads at the MCG. Not just him, even Washington Sundar made a well crafted fifty. By the end of Day 3, Nitish was still unbeaten at 105 off 176 balls while India were still trailing behind by 116 runs.
Gavaskar couldn't stop himself from heaping praise on Nitish, who remained India's savior on Day 3.
"The way Nitish batted in the first three Test, it showed he has the capability to bat up the order. I felt Nitish will be send up the order, not at no.8. But since the batting order has reshuffled after Rohit Sharma's return to opening slot, Nitish had to play at no.8 and he proved his batting prowess. Washington Sundar also supported him from the other end. You never know, Nitish might bat up the order in the next match," he added.
"Before Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar, it looked like Australia will go on to take a lead of 230-240 runs which might come down to less than 100 on Day 4. And if India bowlers bowl well, the way they did in Brisbane Test's second innings, they will chasing a target of not more than 270-290 runs, which they are capable of doing. Another scenario is if Australia bat well and bundle out Rohit Sharma's men India can also lose the match. And if rain hinders the play, the match might end in a draw. So the match is still open to all the three possibilities," Gavaskar concluded.
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