Published 21:19 IST, February 13th 2021
Rishabh Pant loses his cool at counterpart Ben Foakes, Stokes tries to calm him down
Youngster Rishabh Pant lost his cool as Ben Stokes tried to calm things down on Day 1 of the second Test match between India & England in Chennai
Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant succeeded in saving his wicket on Day 1 of the ongoing second Test match between India and England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. However, the youngster did not shy away from expressing his frustration just moments before the close of play.
Rishabh Pant loses his cool
The incident happened during the penultimate over of the first day's play that was bowled by England Test skipper Joe Root. It so happened that throughout the over, Pant's English counterpart Ben Foakes and the close-in fielders around the southpaw were constantly engaging in some banter with the batsman. While Root was going to bowl the fourth delivery, the middle-order batsman briefly walked away from his guard complaining about the chatter.
He was then seen having a conversation with the on-field umpires before ace England all-rounder Ben Stokes showed up and tried to calm a visibly upset Rishabh Pant down. A disappointed Pant did not seem to be in any mood for fun but he did calm himself down as he exchanged fist bump with Axar Patel at the non-strikers' end.
Meanwhile, Stokes and Root were also seen having a hearty laugh over it as well.
Watch the video here:
India dominate proceedings on Day 1
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, opener Rohit Sharma (161) and Ajinkya Rahane batted well on a difficult surface after the hosts had lost their top-order even before breaching the three-figure mark. After both the set batsmen were dismissed, it appeared as if India would suffer a batting collapse after Ravichandran Ashwin also followed with just 13 runs to his name.
Nonetheless, Pant had other ideas as he went after the English bowlers. He is unbeaten at 33 including five boundaries and a maximum as India's scorecard reads 300/6 at stumps on Day 1.
This is a must-win contest for Team India in order to stay alive in the four-match series. More importantly, the Virat Kohli-led side cannot afford to lose another match in this series as it will end their chances of playing the ICC World Test Championship final at the 'Mecca of Cricket' Lord's between June 18-22 against New Zealand.
Updated 21:19 IST, February 13th 2021