Rishabh Pant once again emerged as the rescue man for India as his ton helped the hosts gain a commanding position in the ongoing Test against England in Ahmedabad. The 23-year-old smashed his third Test century, before being dismissed by James Anderson on 101 from 118 deliveries,
Pant reached the three-figure mark with a powerful six towards, which reminded many fans of destructive opener batsman Virender Sehwag, who is renowned for reaching the triple digits score with a maximum. The former India cricketer, himsef, lauded Pant for his heroic effort and shared a meme on Twitter.
“Me Watching Rishabh Pant reverse sweep Anderson for a boundary and then bring up his century with a SIX. That’s my Boy!” Sehwag wrote in his tweet.
Me Watching Rishabh Pant reverse sweep Anderson for a boundary and then bring up his century with a SIX.
That’s my Boy! #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/yunVL1GRTQ— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) March 5, 2021
During the course of his innings, Pant river-swept Anderson for a four, when the veteran English cricketer was handed the new ball. Speaking about the shot against Anderson, the 23-year-old after the conclusion of Day 2 said: “You have to premeditate reverse-flicks, but if luck is going your way you can take the odd chance. I get the license most of the time, but I have to assess the situation and take the game head on. I like to make the team win and if the crowd is entertained by that, I’m happy.”
Meanwhile, Pant found great support from all-rounder Washington Sundar, who also completed his third Test half-century before the close of play. The pair added crucial 113-run stand for the seventh wicket before Pant’s brilliant innings was brought to an end by Anderson.
Sundar, however, is still present at the crease and will resume action with Axar Patel on Saturday as India finished Day 2 at 294/7 and have a healthy lead of 89 runs.
