Published 12:34 IST, February 8th 2021
Rishabh Pant entertains fans by smashing 4 sixes in a row off Jack Leach: WATCH
India's Rishabh Pant resorted to his counter-attacking approach in his battle against England's premier spin bowler, Jack Leach, at Chennai.
India's wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has showcased his batting prowess on multiple occasions, especially in red-ball cricket. Having already played a number of memorable knocks for Team India in his young career, the southpaw has carved a niche for himself in the side's star-studded batting line-up. The talented player was monumental in India's triumphant run in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and he seems to have carried his form in the ongoing India vs England Test series as well.
India vs England 1st Test: Rishabh Pant takes Jack Leach to the cleaners
While Rishabh Pant has often been under the scanner because of his ordinary performances with the gloves, he has often made amends with exceptional outings with the bat. The dynamic cricketer has the tendency to shift the momentum of a contest with his counter-attacking approach, and he resorted to the same during the India vs England 1st Test. The home side had their backs on to the wall after Joe Root and co. posted a mammoth total of 578.
To make the matters worse for the Virat Kohli-led side, none of their top-order batsmen apart from Cheteshwar Pujara could make a significant impact with the bat. The onus was once again on 23-year-old Rishabh Pant to steer the Indian side out of trouble, and the player once again came up with a lion-hearted performance. The left-hander scored runs at a frantic pace and scored a quick-fire 91 off just 88 deliveries.
The highlight of the batter's knock was the manner in which he targeted England's premier spin bowler, Jack Leach. The left-arm spinner was looking to target the bowler's footmarks outside Pant's off-stump, in order to get additional purchase from the surface. However, the batter adapted quickly and made a slight shift to his stance. Apart from that, he also used his feet to his advantage and smashed four sixes in quick succession to get an upper hand over Jack Leach.
India vs England live
England claimed a valuable 241-run lead after bundling out the hosts for 337. Apart from Rishabh Pant, Cheteshwar Pujara once again played remarkably well for his 73. It was Washington Sundar who rescued team India with a fantastic 85, whereas R Aswin also contributed with 31 runs lower down the order.
Ashwin also picked up the wicket of opener Rory Burns on the very first ball of England's second innings. After the completion of the first session of the penultimate day of the Test, England lead by 242 runs. Fans in India can catch the India vs England live action on the Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar.
Rishabh Pant career stats in Test matches
Playing in his 17th Test match for India, he has already seen several ups and downs already in his young career. The player has amassed 1179 runs in his career so far and also boasts of a healthy batting average of 45.34. The left-hander has two centuries to his name and has also scored five fifties in the longer format. It is worth mentioning that Rishabh Pant is the first Indian wicketkeeper to smash a century in both Australia and England.
Image source: BCCI
Updated 12:34 IST, February 8th 2021