‘Yeh accha pace hai, yehi chahiye’ – How Rishabh Pant Sharp Advice Resulted In Instant Wicket In IND vs SA 1st Test [WATCH]

Be it in front of the crease or behind, never ever take Rishabh Pant for granted. The Indian stand-in skipper contributed magnificently towards picking the first South African wicket in the second innings of the first Test in Kolkata. The Protea openers were off to a steady start, but it was cut short after Kuldeep Yadav sent Ryan Rickelton packing in the seventh over.

The game is evenly poised after India could manage a lead of 30 runs in the first innings. The Eden Gardens pitch has something in it for the bowlers. With the odd ball staying low and doing all sorts of things on the surface, batting in the fourth innings for India would be an uphill task. And that is why the hosts must ensure that they get rid of the South Africans as soon as possible, with minimal runs on the board.

The incident occurred in the seventh over of the second innings, when Kuldeep Yadav came on to bowl his first over of the innings. After he bowled a couple of deliveries, Rishabh Pant was heard encouraging Kuldeep to keep bowling with the same pace. And before the Indians knew it, Ryan Rickelton was walking back after being trapped LBW on the very next delivery.

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Can Rishabh Pant Turn the Tide In India’s Favour?

With South Africa currently batting, the game looks in the balance. One of their first targets would be to get ahead of the Indian total and then try and accumulate as many runs as possible to make it tougher for the hosts when they bat fourth. The pitch has been tricky to bat on, and batting in the fourth innings would certainly not be easy.

However, the Indians would need the services of Rishabh Pant to turn up in the fourth innings, after his glovework in the third. With the Test match batting template being followed by all the other batters, it is a well-known fact that Rishabh Pant can take the attack to the opposition within a matter of minutes. The hosts will use Rishabh Pant and his ability to to put the Proteas under the pump.

On a deck like this, the Indians would not be comfortable chasing anything more than 150-170, considering the tricky nature of the pitch. It has something in it for both the pacers and spinners, which makes it difficult to bat on. However, the team which bats out of their skins would emerge victorious in the contest. By the looks of it, Rishabh Pant’s exploits behind and in front of the stumps would be extremely useful for India in the Test series.

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