‘Stupid, stupid, stupid’: Super angry Sunil Gavaskar blasts Rishabh Pant for careless shot, suggests he should go to…

Rishabh Pant was expected to step up for India during a crucial moment in the fourth Test, but unfortunately, he fell short. His dismissal was a familiar careless mistake that sparked a viral rant from Gavaskar. The MCG pitch on the third day seemed ideal for batting, with green grass giving way to a brownish tinge and the aging Kookaburra ball offering little assistance to the bowlers. Pant had the opportunity to score big if he had stayed at the crease, especially with Ravindra Jadeja providing support.

Initially, Pant showed promise by hitting a few boundaries but his downfall came when he attempted a risky lap pull shot that led to his dismissal. Despite being hit in the abdominal area by Scott Boland’s delivery, Pant failed to adjust his approach. He overlooked the field placements set by Pat Cummins, which ultimately led to his downfall.

“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! You’ve got two fielder there and you still go for that. You’ve missed the previous shot and look where you’ve been caught. You’ve caught at deep third man. That is throwing away your wicket. Not in the situation that India was. You have to understand the situation as well. You cannot say that is your natural game. I am sorry that is not your natural game. That is a stupid shot. That is letting your team down badly. He should not be going in that (Indian) dressing room, he should be going into the other dressing room,” Gavaskar said on ABC Sport.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” 

Safe to say Sunny wasn’t happy with Rishabh Pant after that shot.

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Up until the 56th over, the match was intense. Scott Boland, coming around the wicket, posed a challenge for Pant as he aimed to target the area behind square on the leg side. When faced with a full delivery outside off stump, Pant attempted his signature ‘falling sweep’. Unfortunately, his timing was off, resulting in the ball flying off the toe end of his bat and straight into the hands of Nathan Lyon at fine deep third.

Just moments before, Pant had tried a similar shot, only to edge the ball onto his own body. 

“You’ve got two fielders there and you still go for that,” Gavaskar added. “You missed the previous shot, and look where you’ve been caught. That is throwing away your wicket. You cannot say that that’s your natural game. I’m sorry. That is not your natural game. That is a stupid shot. That is letting your team down badly. You have to understand the situation as well.”

“Poor old Rishabh Pant on the ground watching his dismissal happen before his very eyes,” Mark Howard said on Fox Cricket. “With two out on the leg-side, it’s a risky shot,” Alyssa Healy added.

However, a great half-century by Nitish Kumar Reddy and able assistance by Washington Sundar helped India go past the score of 300 against Australia.

Also read| IND vs AUS 4th Test Day 3 Session 2 highlights: Nitish Kumar Reddy nears maiden ton, India 326/7 at tea