Former Australia skipper and one of the greatest batsman to have graced the game, Ricky Ponting showered praises on the decision to send Rishabh Pant up the order during the final day of the 3rd Test between Australia and India. It was Pant’s stunning counter-attacking knock of 97 which gave India a glimmer of hope of registering a historic victory.
"Very good proactive captaincy or coaching for sending Rishabh up. For India to stay in with a chance to win, they needed to do that. He had a little bit of luck with Paine putting him down a couple of times," Ponting said.
It's not all crash and bangs with him, there is a lot of skill involved, and he is proper test match batsman to the point today where a lot of the commentators were saying can he play as a batsman in the middle order and have Saha keep."
Ponting is the head coach of the Delhi Capitals in the IPL and has seen Pant from very close quarters. He was impressed with Pant’s performance and said that consistent performance like this will help the southpaw cement his place in the longest format for several years to come.
“It was a masterstroke to put him up there, but he still got to play that innings, and he did it. He does it in his own way; he does it with a bit of swagger and confidence," Ponting added.
"Taking on Lyon like he did, even with fielders out says he backs himself and his skillset. I said at the start of the series that there is a chance for him to cement himself as India's keeper-batsman for the next 10-12 years and innings like today will go a long way in helping that."
India needed in excess of 300 on the final day of the Test match with 8 wickets in hand. Captain Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed in the 2nd over of the day and in place of Vihari, Pant came out to take guard at no. 5. He was patient for the first 30 deliveries but launched a stupendous all-out attack on the Australian bowlers which put some serious pressure on them.
He took on Lyon with utter disdain and slammed him for 3 huge sixes even challenging the long-on fielder. His 150 odd partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara totally changed the complexion of the game. His counter-attacking knock was studded with 12 fours and 3 sixes and gave India a serious chance of chasing the big target down. Eventually, Vihari and Ashwin defied all the odds and battled the final session to eke out a historic draw for the visitors.
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