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Sunil Gavaskar asserted that he wasn’t angry because Pant played that particular shot but the ego reflected in the young keeper-batter’s act.
Sunil Gavaskar explains why he lost cool when Rishabh Pant got out
Sunil Gavaskar couldn’t hide his annoyance when Rishabh Pant lost his wicket on the third day of the ongoing Boxing Day Test at the MCG. It was a crucial juncture for India when they needed someone to stand and stitch a good partnership. However, Pant decided to unleash his trademark ramp shot against Scott Boland, only to get caught by Nathan Lyon.
Gavaskar, calling the game for ABC Sport, turned so furious that he called Pant’s approach ‘stupid’ on air and even asserted that he shouldn’t go back to the dressing room.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid. You’ve got two fielders there, and you still go for that. You missed the previous shot. And look where you have been caught. You have been caught at deep third man. That is throwing away your wicket. Not in the situation that India was in, you have to understand the situation as well. You cannot say that’s your natural game. I’m sorry. That’s not your natural game. That is a stupid shot. That is letting your team down badly,” Gavaskar said.
The video of Gavaskar’s rant went viral on social media, garnering close to 10 million views across platforms. On Sunday, when Gavaskar was asked about his outburst on Pant, the legend said it was just the passion for the game, adding that Indian cricket has made him what he is today.
“I wonder whether I should be that passionate about Indian cricket now, now that I’ve, you know, I’m almost for 35 years retired, but I am what I am because of Indian cricket. I’m not sitting here [in the comm box] because of my looks. Not because I’m vertically challenged or horizontally blessed. I am here only because only because I played for India,” Gavaskar said.
The Indian legend asserted that he wasn’t angry because Pant played that particular shot but the ego reflected in the young keeper-batter’s act. Before losing his wicket, Pant attempted to ramp Boland but was hit in the stomach. Gavaskar said he didn’t like the attitude of the young batter, as if he wanted to teach the Australian quick a lesson.
“When I see somebody as talented as Rishabh Pant play that shot; I had no problems with that first shot which played and missed. The reason I got upset was the ego took over for the next ball,” Gavaskar said.
“I’ve just been hit in the mid-rif for attempting a similar shot. I’m going to show the bowler who’s the boss. Test cricket is not easy. When he got out and got out, they’ve got two fielders there in the deep and this is a big ground. It’s not easy to hit the sixes. You’ve got the fielders in the catching position over there, deep square leg and a deep fine leg. But he got caught a third man with the edge.”
“I’ve seen him play some fabulous innings. But, here in Australia, I get the impression that he thinks that that’s the only way he’s going to score runs. Here he’s stepping down the pitch and lofting the ball and getting a boundary. That’s not the way he scored runs in the past. He has played those shots which have been outrageously good.
“I’ve seen him play the cover drive along the ground very well, the square at the pull shot he plays so well, the flick off the pads, everything he’s got. So therefore to try and take a little bit of a risk at that stage was a little too much,” he concluded.
Pant scored a 37-ball 28 with the help of three fours. He added 32 runs for the sixth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (17).
- Location :
Melbourne, Australia
