Sunil Gavaskar has once again criticised Rishabh Pant, pointing out his dismissal during the second innings against South Africa on Day 3 in Johannesburg on Wednesday (January 5).
Pant was dismissed by Lungi Ngidi for a three-ball duck trying to charge down the wicket. The wicketkeeper-batter edged the ball and was given out caught behind. Gavaskar identified the origin of a specific pattern of dismissal in Pant's game while answering to a fan’s query on 'why is all the focus on Pujara and Rahane, when Pant too hasn't scored much since the Australia series'.
"It's a valid question. This is something one could understand if Rishabh Pant had been batting on 30 and 40. This is something he had not done in Australia. There he applied himself, recognised that there will be hard times at the beginning when you come in to bat and then battling through the hard times, he got set and got to know how the pitch is. And then he played the big shots. That's what he did in Australia," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
India had got off to a really good start on Day 3, credit to Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane’s half centuries. The Delhi-born left-handed batter was expected to carry the innings ahead but unfortunately he even failed to get off the mark.
The former India captain also pointed out Pant's approach of charging down the pitch against the English bowlers last year at home. The World Cup-winner added that the young wicketkeeper-batter cannot bank on the same approach all the time and expect it to always work for him.
"This is something we saw against England, at the start of the series. When England came to India, he was jumping down the pitch and trying to hit James Anderson… he did that so well. But after that he seems to think that is the only way to play. That is not the way to play and I am pretty certain that in the change room, Rahul Dravid would have given him a hearing, or as they say in cricket, Dravid must have given him a 'bamboo'," added Gavaskar.
