Sydney [Australia], January 3 (ANI): After a gripping opening day in Sydney, Rishabh Pant opened up about India’s batting woes and acknowledged visitors falling below the par score.
However, despite the lack of runs on the board, Pant believes India will still be “competitive” considering the way the ball is moving.
With the highest Day 1 record crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for any test against India, the touring party shed sweat and sustained blows on a challenging surface.
At one point, India looked well poised to cross the 200-run mark when Pant held the fort with Ravindra Jadeja. With India hanging at 72/4 after Virat Kohli, in his trademark fashion, edged it away to the third slip, the southpaw duo came to India’s rescue.
Pant sustained blows on his body while Jadeja dealt with caution throughout their valiant 48-run stand. Pant went against his nature and relied on his defensive technique to steer India to a respectable total.
However, his time at the crease was cut short after he tried to have a crack at Scott Boland. In his attempt for a boundary, Pant’s full swing was met with the toe of the bat, and his miscued shot landed in skipper Pat Cummins’s hands.
India never found its way back into the game, with wickets going away in a cluster, forcing the Jasprit Bumrah-led side to fold on 185.
According to Pant, India stood at least 35 runs away from a par score. But still, they held that competitive edge, especially after seeing Bumrah forcing out an edge from Usman Khawaja, to leave Australia dangling at 9/1.
“Anything above 220-250 would have been par, but still competitive with the way the ball is moving now,” Pant said in the post-day press conference.
Seeing Pant sustain blows on his body isn’t a common sight in Test cricket. He appeared to be in pain when Boland’s delivery struck him on his upper thigh. While reflecting on his time at the crease, the 27-year-old admitted it was painful.
“I mean, definitely it’s painful, but you know, sometimes you have to like to do the hard work for the team, and that’s okay. Not thinking about where I got hit but just playing the ball. To the best of my abilities. That’s the only thing I can do, and that’s what I did in this match. I think this is the first time. I’ve gotten hit so much, but you know, in cricket, you can’t plan anything,” Pant added.
Pant was all in praise of Boland, who ended his promising stay at the crease on a score of 40(98). He lavished praise on the “amazing bowler” for making the most out of the conditions available to him.
“I think he’s been an amazing bowler. The way he bowls line and length, especially in Test cricket, is quite difficult because he’s so used to playing in this condition, and you don’t feel like he’s playing his first initial matches. It feels like he’s been there for a long period of time, and that’s the kind of experience,” he said.
Boland ended the first innings with figures of 4/31 in his 20-over spell, the best by any Australian quick in their first outing. With Boland’s threat still looming in the second innings, Pant is aware of the need to find a way to tackle the experienced star.
“I feel you should be able to find ways each and every day. Even if the bowler is bowling well maybe on a given day, but you want to keep finding ways but all respect for him. Amazing bowling, but at the same time we gotta find ways to tackle him,” he added.
After the opening day of the final Test of the ongoing BGT series, Australia stood at 9/1 while still trailing by 176 runs. (ANI)
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