Former Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar praised Rishabh Pant‘s dynamic fifty against Australia in Sydney. He believes Pant’s courageous performance gives India a chance to win the Test and draw the series.
Pant reached his half-century in only 29 balls on day two of the fifth Test. This fifty followed a series of promising starts in four Test matches that unfortunately remained unconverted. He was eventually dismissed by Australian captain Pat Cummins. India finished the day at 141/6, leading by 145 runs.
Bangar, speaking on Star Sports, commended Pant for effectively handling Mitchell Starc‘s swing and Scott Boland’s consistent line and length.
“The kind of bravery that Rishabh Pant portrayed with his bat, that is the only reason I think that India is in a position where we are still thinking that we can win this match. If you keep this innings aside, the way he played, the calculative risks that he took, the way he played those shots, because Mitchell Starc’s deliveries swing in when the ball gets a bit old so he played the shots towards the square-leg. Scott Boland who hits the length, he stepped out and played him, where there was no fielder in the point region he played those cut shots.”
Bangar described Pant’s innings as “composed.” He admired Pant’s adaptability, contrasting this innings with his first-innings performance of 40 runs from 98 balls, which included enduring several body blows.
“So it was quite a composed innings, it was not that he came out and started playing shots without even thinking anything about it. When he plays like this, he has shown that he is quite diverse and you also expect that when a player has played 40-45 test matches, the way he played in the first innings where he took those blows on his body, sometimes you will have to play like that and you’ll have to respect the conditions. And today situation of the match was such that a strategy a was put in place where he played counter-attacking innings and it is quite pleasant to watch when he plays those counter-attacking innings,” he concluded.
Pant’s first-innings knock included three fours and a six. He demonstrated resilience and a willingness to absorb physical impact for the team’s cause. In contrast, his second-innings approach was marked by calculated aggression and an opportunistic exploitation of scoring opportunities.
Pant’s performance throughout the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been below his usual high standards. He has accumulated 255 runs in nine innings across five matches, averaging 28.33 with a strike rate of 59.02.
