Spiderman, Spiderman... Rishabh Pant was heard singing from behind the stumps on the fourth day of Brisbane Test match. He was not randomly humming the Spiderman theme, but was egging on off-spinner Washington Sundar. Aise web pheko web, aise karke phishh... (catch them in a web of spin) was his advice to the debutant bowler. Pant was back in his element; chirpy and spirited right up till he hit the winning runs at the Gabba to help India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
But, till the second Test in Melbourne, the baby-faced wicketkeeper-batsman had little to cheer about. His Indian Premier League season with the Delhi Capitals was subpar; he was dropped from India’s white-ball squads, and senior wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha was preferred in the first Test in Adelaide. Pant played the second Test in Melbourne and—apart from dropping Pat Cummins off R. Ashwin in the second innings— the match went without major mishaps for the 23-year-old.
The third Test in Sydney, however, was a horror show from Pant the wicketkeeper. He dropped debutant Will Pucovski twice (the Aussie made a half-century) during the rain-affected session on day one. First off Ashwin (on 26) and then in a botched-up juggling effort three overs later (on 32) to deny pacer Mohammed Siraj a wicket. Pant redeemed himself with the bat in the second innings. Sent in by captain Ajinkya Rahane at No 5, Pant scored a counterattacking 97 which helped India draw the match from a disadvantageous position. He took it a step further with his 89 not out in Brisbane.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 31, 2021 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 31, 2021 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
