India have all but sealed a maiden Test series triumph in Australia with their batsmen putting them in cruise control on day two at Sydney.
Led by a brilliant 193 from Cheteshwar Pujara, India amassed a mammoth 622-7 in their first innings of the final Test before skipper Virat Kohli announced the declaration.
Despite Pujara’s continued brilliance, it was a day that clearly belonged to Rishabh Pant who became the first Indian wicketkeeper in history to register a Test ton on Australian soil.
Here, we take a closer look at the youngster’s displays on day two.
STATISTICS
RUNS SCORED: 159
BALLS FACED: 189
BOUNDARIES: 15
SIXES: 1
STRIKE-RATE: 84.12
30-SECOND REPORT
Pant arrived at the crease following the dismissal of Hanuma Vihari and took no time in settling down on a day where conditions were perfect for batting.
The 21-year-old provided able support at the other end to Cheteshwar Pujara in the early half of his innings and changed gears once the top-order India batsman was dismissed for 193.
Bringing out all the shots in his book, Pant cruised towards his second Test hundred and grew even more assertive after reaching three figures. The Delhi man forged a record 204-run seventh-wicket stand along with Ravindra Jadeja and remained unbeaten on 159 before Virat Kohli declared India’s first innings with an hour left to play.
Rishabh Pant brings up his second Test century! A fantastic knock from the youngster to put India in a strong position! #AUSvIND LIVE ➡️ https://t.co/c2fCH8CBUE pic.twitter.com/JdPfBWSKCE
— ICC (@ICC) January 4, 2019
GOT RIGHT
Pant has always been an explosive batsman but he curbed much of his attacking instincts in the early stages of his innings. The young wicketkeeper-batsman was content to play second fiddle to Pujara through quick rotation of the strike and that served him well as he settled down nicely at the crease.
He only changed gears once Pujara had departed and did not take too many undue risks until he brought up a special century. Once past the 100-run mark, Pant showed his attacking flair as he took his toll on a tiring Aussie bowling attack.
GOT WRONG
There was not much that the India youngster got wrong as he showed some excellent temperament to pace his innings beautifully. There were, however, a few bundles of nerves from Pant once he entered the 90s.
That tentativeness was understandable from Pant given his inexperience and the fact that it is his first tour of Australia.
The only mistake from Pant on day two which could prove costly was the reprieve he handed Usman Khawaja in the third over of Australia’s innings. Mohammed Shami drew an outside edge from the Aussie opener but Pant failed to hold on to a straightforward chance.
There can be no complaints so far about Pant’s batting but his glove work still needs a lot of work if he is to become a Test mainstay.
A few nervy moments for Pants in the 90s.
VERDICT – 9/10
His dropped catch of Khawaja takes some sheen off Pant’s scintillating display on Thursday but there is no denying that India have a gem on their hands with his emergence.
His innings was full of confidence and it showed that the youngster can mix some excellent temperament to go with his, at times, outrageous shot-making.
That he is now ahead of Kohli in the run-tally for the series and only behind Pujara speaks volumes about the progress the youngster from Delhi has made since making his international bow in August.
To become the first Indian wicketkeeper to register Test tons in both England and Australia is no small feat for any player, let alone someone still in the first year of his Test career.
His batting has shades of Adam Gilchrist and he possesses the tools to become one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in India’s history. If he can sort out his glove work, there is no doubt that Pant can become India’s long-term answer to the wicketkeeping slot.
Rishabh Pant's 159* is the second-highest Test score by a visiting wicketkeeper in Australia, behind only ABdV's 169 in Perth, 2012 #AUSvIND
— Adam Burnett (@AdamBurnett09) January 4, 2019
