Dom Bess hails Rishabh Pant's 'courageous' knock, says 'he is completely different player'

With the opening India Vs England Test underway, England all-rounder Dom Bess lauded wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant calling his day three performance 'phenomenal' and 'courageous'.  

"Pant is just a completely different player and he played phenomenal innings. I think how he played was really courageous," Bess said in the press conference.

Chasing a mammoth target of 578 in their first innings, India managed to end Day 3's play at 257/6 after the brave performance of number three Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant. Pulling through the day, the duo managed to make 91 (off 88 balls) and 73 (off 143 balls) respectively, adding over 100 runs to India's deficit. However, Pant's rash play off a Dom Bess delivery limited his innings well before a deserved Test century. 

On the other hand, Dom Bess himself delivered a scintillating performance, after he managed to pick up four wickets including the wickets of Pant and Pujara. Speaking on his performance, Bess asserted that he did not want to think 'too far ahead' or say anything at the moment. 

"I do not want to get too far ahead and say anything. Most important thing is finishing off this first innings and see where they are at, at that point in time. They got these two, who can certainly bat. But we have put ourselves in a very good position," he said.

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With a couple of days' play still left, it remains to be seen if India can turn the tides as it chases a deficit of 321 runs in their first innings. Lower middle-order duo of Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin will bat on 33 and 8 respectively. 

"We have had some soft dismissals. The way I got out and how Jinks (Ajinkya Rahane) got out. Ash and Washington are batting well. There is a bit of spin but still a good pitch to bat on. Tomorrow will be crucial," Pujara said. 

Read: Vaughan Terms Root As Better Player Of Spin Than Virat Kohli, Faces Netizens 'fact' Wrath

Read: England Take Control After Sizzling Pant, Calm Pujara's Counter-attacking Stand

(With Agency Inputs)