Rishabh Pant (99) missed 100 again as he fell painfully to 99 after Sarfaraz Khan departed for 150 as New Zealand took the momentum by keeping India at 438 at tea on the fourth day on Saturday. India led New Zealand by 82 runs, an unthinkable situation in which they were bowled out for 46 in the first innings but New Zealand still maintained a lead in the series opener.
Ravindra Jadeja (4) was left in jeopardy as the second session did not start at 1.50pm due to rain. KL Rahul (12) was a stroke behind on the tea break.
This was the seventh time Pant was left out of a Test match in the 90s. After he came out in 1999, the Indian dressing room was devastated.
99),
Well played #pants#RishabhPants#RohitSharma #sarfrazkhan #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/4kePMPqNTm— Kuldeep Nehra (@iKuldeepNehra) October 19, 2024
Most dismissals in Tests in India in Test Cricket in the 90s:
– 10: Sachin Tendulkar
– 9: Rahul Dravid
– 7: Rishabh Pants
– 5: Sunil Gavaskar
– 5: MS Dhoni
– 5: Virender SehwagRishabh Pant and MS Dhoni are the only wicketkeepers to have been dismissed more than five times in the 90s. pic.twitter.com/AOXLVOmRXf
— Faiz Fazel (@theFaizFazel) October 19, 2024
Pants are so unlucky pic.twitter.com/DoVZQZIPZu
— Nata (@oseazam003) October 19, 2024
#RishabhPants ill-fated test match #INDvNZ #INDvsNZ #pants pic.twitter.com/njTt4KvmvD
— DA CVF (@David_AdamCVF) October 19, 2024
Pant and Sarfaraz stitched a 177-run stand for the fourth wicket with five runs over, giving India the upper hand for the first time in this match.
The very sight of Pant walking to bat in the first session was a consolation as he had missed the entire third day due to a blow to the knee while ‘guarding’.
Pant understandably started off a bit cautiously and was also involved in a mix-up with Sarfaraz, but was saved only by wicket-keeper Tom Blundell’s erratic throw of the stumps.
After that period, Pant failed to stop left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel for six years.
The left-hander made 50 off just 55 balls with a superb cover drive from Glenn Phillips before the rain soon arrived.
Despite the break, Pant started the middle session with confidence, hitting a couple of sixes over covers against left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra.
He had a couple of anxious moments, but DRS saved him on both occasions. It saved him once from an appeal for a bat-boot catch and another from a falling behind appeal.
But the sound did not affect his concentration and gradually he began playing shots produced exclusively in the pants manufacturing department.
He swooped and pirouetted around the crease to find every possible angle, and the New Zealand bowlers were utterly clueless in finding the ideal line and length against him.
A prime example was the stunning slog that swept Tim Southee for six, sailing over the mid-wicket fence as the pacer attempted to bowl a full pitch for swing.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Sarfaraz soared to 150 after reaching his first Test hundred in the first session of the day, which he celebrated with unbridled joy.
His batting was also far from traditional, coming up with a mix of late cuts to accumulate his runs. In that respect, the Mumbai man’s tough batting skills are very similar to Pant’s.
However, both started off in rather quick succession as the Kiwis applied the brakes on India’s free-scoring form.
Pant was played out to William O’Rourke and Sarfaraz passed Southee to Ajaz Patel. KL Rahul’s dismissal has further hampered India. blood
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