For the most part, it was a strange kind of day. India got off to a blistering start thanks to Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma and some loose bowling by Sri Lanka. The fours came fairly easily and before anyone knew it, India were motoring along. Batting seemed easy.
Then, Rohit Sharma, the happy puller, found the fielder in the deep. Given how dangerous the Indian skipper can be when he gets his eye in, it seemed Sri Lanka had earned a reprieve of sorts.
But this kept happening through the day. India would seem to be in control, batting would look easy, the batter comfortable and then Sri Lanka would get a wicket. Agarwal fell after making 33 – trapped LBW. Kohli was bowled after making 45. Vihari played on after getting to a fine fifty. Shreyas Iyer made 27 before being trapped LBW.
They all got a start and they all failed to make it count. All... until Rishabh Pant decided to hammer home India’s advantage. The hosts ended Day 1 on 357/6, firmly in command of the proceedings.
The run-rate had always been high but the wickets kept Sri Lanka in the mix and gave them hope. Pant, however, can change things pretty quickly. He was sent up the order, ahead of Iyer, to counter the left-arm spin of Lasith Embuldeniya but he did so much more.
For a change, he initially batted with a fair degree of restraint. The two quick wickets of Kohli and Vihari meant that he probably had to. Probably because with Pant you never know – if the mood takes him, he might go at it from ball one or he might just decide to bide his time.
On Friday, he played a waiting game and India would be thankful for that. A steady stand with Iyer got India to 228 before the right-hander was dismissed. By this point, Pant seemed to have got his eye in and he was itching to let loose. Still, he waited.
He reached his half-century of 73 balls without playing too many extravagant strokes (by his standard that is) Then, suddenly, he had had enough.
The new ball was five overs away at that point and that is when Pant launched his attack. Embuldeniya was hammered for 22 runs in the 76th over of the innings. He could do little but smile. The left-hander didn’t just change gears, he directly went into top gear. Not what the instructors would recommend but something that works wonderfully well for the India ‘keeper. The ten balls he faced after getting to his fifty included three fours and three sixes.
The thing about Pant is that he needs no real support. He can do it all on his own too. But if someone can stay with him, he can truly take the game away from the opposition and that is where the depth of the Indian lower order in recent times has helped.
Ravindra Jadeja looked to stay in the middle and just let Pant do his thing. The duo put on 104 off 118 balls with Pant contributing 68 (51 balls) off those runs and the partnership pushed Sri Lanka into the corner that they had managed to avoid all day.
Pant was eventually dismissed by Suranga Lakmal, who was bowling with the second new ball, for a brilliant 96 off 97. The last 46 runs of his innings had come off just 24 balls.
The fact that he doesn’t have a template makes him dangerous for the opponent. The others come in and try to do the right things. Get your eye in, see the bowlers and then eventually try to press home the advantage. But with Pant, you know what is coming your way, but you never quite know when.
And that is why, it doesn’t matter if you are a fan or a team-mate or an opponent... when Pant comes out to bat, you are always on the edge of your seat.
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