Rishabh Pants On the fourth day of the ongoing first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 19, the Indian dressing room was left completely disappointed, missing out on a deserved Test century by a run.
The left-handed batsman entertained the Bengaluru crowd with his entertaining yet aggressive batting, but William O’Rourke did not plan on allowing Pant to complete his ton in the 89th over.
Rishabh Pant’s heroic knock ended with William O’Rourke delivering a breakthrough blow for India.
William O’Rourke delivered a game-changing moment. New ZealandSending Rishabh Pant back to the pavilion with less than a century in Bengaluru. The second new ball did a trick that caught the Indian wicket-keeper batsman off guard.
O’Rourke’s delivery started unexpectedly at short length and Pant was caught by surprise as he attempted to defend it. The ball hit the seam of the bat, took the edge, and crashed into the stumps, silencing the crowd.
His wicket was gone. Indian team We’re in a tough spot at 77/5. Despite the disappointment, Pant received a standing ovation from the Indian cricket team and fans, acknowledging his superb knock against New Zealand in which he stringed together nine boundaries and five sixes to score 99 runs off 105 balls.
Replays later showed that the ball not only went inside but also deflected further, leaving Pant with no space and ultimately only taking out leg stump, while the off-stump remained intact. Pant’s resilient effort came to a heartbreaking end as O’Rourke celebrated a big wicket.
The Indian dressing room is in shock after Rishabh Pant’s dismissal.
After being dismissed, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin and head coach Gautam Gambhir were seen expressing shock on the crucial wicket. Siraj covered his face in shock while Ravindra Jadeja was seen holding his head and regretting Pant’s wicket. KL Rahul at the other end was also disheartened.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir were left with no choice but to regret it. The sadness was clearly visible on their faces.
— Expert Kirkit (@expert42983) October 19, 2024
Rishabh Pant joins the unique list of Indian legends with his Bengaluru Knock.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has now joined the unique list of Indian cricketers who have experienced the heartbreak of being dismissed in the 90s after less than a century in Test cricket. Sachin Tendulkar leads the charts with 10 disappointments in his illustrious career.
Former India coach and legendary batsman Rahul Dravid ranks second with nine dismissals in the 90s. Pant is rising fast on this list, having been sacked seven times in the 90s. Sunil Gavaskar, MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag each share five dismissals in the 90s.
Additionally, Pant and MS Dhoni are the only Indian wicket-keepers in the history of Test cricket to have suffered the disappointment of being dismissed more than five times in the 90s. However, Pant was unlucky to miss his ton, but the pace got Bengaluru to score. It was really amazing.
His runs were achieved at an astonishing strikeout rate of over 94, a testament to just how aggressively he batted during his stay in the first Test against New Zealand. Well, India are in serious danger now as a major defeat is imminent for the hosts.
