Given his bold and attacking batting, Rishabh Pant has been celebrated as much as he's been vilified. One of his earliest and biggest critics in India was cricket great Sunil Gavaskar, who once went on the record to berate Pant during a Test match against Australia.
After Pant was dismissed for a wild 28, Gavaskar, clearly agitated in the broadcast booth, repeated on live television, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"
But forward a couple of months, and the atmosphere has totally altered.
During Day 1 of the first Test between England and India at Headingley, Pant shut his critics up with a mature and calm unbeaten innings of 65 off 102 balls, taking India to a commanding position at stumps as the score settled at 359/3. Shubman Gill also stayed unbeaten, adding a stunning 127*.
In awe of Pant's turnaround, Gavaskar has now given words of appreciation rather than criticism. In conversation on Sony Sports, according to The Times of India, the ex-India skipper praised Pant's reflective batting.
As per Gavaskar, winning a boundary early on in the innings assists Pant in getting into his rhythm and decreases pressure. He also pointed towards Pant's composure and command over the fast bowlers, praising his capability to strike a proper balance between attack and defence — an indication of increasing maturity in the young wicketkeeper-batter's game.
Breaking Records in SENA
Pant’s fifty not only helped India gain an upper hand on the opening day but also saw him surpass MS Dhoni’s record for most Test runs by an Asian wicketkeeper in SENA countries — South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia. With 1,746 runs, Pant now stands at the top of that elite list.
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