NEW DELHI: Former India head coach Ravi Shastri shared his thoughts on Rishabh Pant’s entertaining knock of 134 on the second morning of the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley, describing the ‘outrageous’ wicketkeeper-batter as someone who knows exactly how he wants to play.
Resuming on 65*, Pant went on to complete his seventh Test century, surpassing former India captain MS Dhoni (six) for the most Test hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper. It was Pant’s third Test century on English soil — a feat unmatched by any visiting keeper — delivered with a mix of brilliance and audacity in equal measure.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"What do you say about Pant?! I used the word outrageous yesterday, and nothing has changed. He plays the numbers game beautifully and plays the way he wants. He will block for a bit and then decides he has to go after the bowler and shift gears."
"He has his own computer and only he knows how it works. That's his USP. That's what puts bowlers under pressure and makes him box office, a real entertainer and a match winner," said Shastri during the lunch break on Sky Sports’ broadcast.
Pant reached his century in style, launching Shoaib Bashir for a one-handed six over midwicket off the 146th delivery he faced. He celebrated with his trademark somersault, a nod to his gymnastics training in his formative years, as applause rang out across Headingley.
The moment drew admiration from legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar, who hailed it as "superb, superb, superb" — a stark contrast to his sharp criticism ("stupid, stupid, stupid") on ABC Sport after Pant’s poor dismissal to Scott Boland during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG in December 2024.
Though Pant was one of four wickets to fall during the morning session, which yielded 95 runs, Shastri believed India would have ideally liked to bat for a bit longer. "Clearly India would have wanted to be in a position where they could have batted for another hour, an hour and a half after lunch."
"Having said that, the run rate is like India are playing Bazball cricket, so the tempo makes it even. They have runs on the board, so they will hope it stays overcast and the ball swings. If it swings, they have the attack and the experience," he added.
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