Ahmedabad: Rishabh Pant (101, 118b, 13×4, 2×6) changed his gameplan and in turn India’s fortunes with a magnificent century here Friday. Pant’s third Test ton helped India gain control in the fourth Test against England being played here. At stumps on day two, India were 294 for seven wickets and they have already grabbed a vital 89-run lead on a pitch that is tending to keep low and low as the game progresses.
England dominated the first two sessions and India looked in all sorts of trouble before Pant suddenly decided to catch the opposition by the scruff of their necks. He effortlessly changed gears in company of Washington Sundar (60, 117b, 8×4). The two put on 113 runs for the seventh wicket to take the game away from the visitors. At stumps, Washington was still at the crease with Axar Patel (11 batting).
For someone, who has always been criticised for his lack of game awareness, Pant’s innings was revelation. His first 50 came off 82 balls and the next off only 33 with Sundar being the ideal foil.
In Virender Sehwag style, Pant deposited Dom Bess into the ‘cow corner’ of the stands against the turn, to complete his third Test hundred and first at home. When he finally got out, Root’s frustrated expression was a dead giveaway that the match was now out of hand for England, having conceded as many as 141 runs in a single session.
Ben Stokes (2/73) troubled the Indians with reared up deliveries, one of those got skipper Virat Kohli (0), but there was no trouble for Pant, who would gleefully pull the England all-rounder. The audacity with which he came down the track against James Anderson (3/40) took one’s breath away.
It was a fascinating day of Test cricket where flamboyant players like Rohit Sharma (49, 144b, 7×4) and Pant traded their natural attacking instincts for a more conservative approach.
Earlier, in the first session, Cheteshwar Pujara (17) and Kohli’s dismissals brought England back in the game. Ajinkya Rahane (27) hit a flurry of boundaries to get the scoreboard moving but Anderson had him caught at second slip with a beautiful delivery that held its line at the stroke of lunch in a session.
The approach taken by Rohit and Pujara during their 40-run stand of 24 overs in the morning session, wasn’t a bad one. They saw off Anderson’s morning spell with Stokes bending his back at the other end. However, then wickets started falling in a heap and India went to tea at 153 for six… definitely in a whole lot of trouble.
But, then ‘Hurricane’ Pant hit the Motera and England were left high and dry.
England 1st Innings: 205
India 1st Innings: (Overnight 24/1): Rohit Sharma lbw Stokes 49, Cheteshwar Pujara lbw b Leach 17, Virat Kohli c Foakes b Stokes 0, Ajinkya Rahane c Stokes b Anderson 27, Rishabh Pant c Root b Anderson 101, Ravi Ashwin c Pope b Leach 13, Washington Sundar batting 60, Axar Patel batting 11, Extras: (B-8, LB-5, NB-3) 16, Total: (for 7 wickets in 94 overs) 294.
Fall: 1-0, 2-40, 3-41, 4-80, 5-121, 6-146, 7-259.
Bowling: James Anderson 20-11-40-3, Ben Stokes 22-6-73-2, Jack Leach 23-5-66-2, Dominic Bess 15-1-56-0 , Joe Root 14-1-46-0.
