I didn’t take charge because the wicket was doing too much – Pant

On a day when Indian batting once again posted a below-par total, one of the team’s strong points was the bid put in by Rishabh Pant. The left-hander, heavily criticized recently for the shots that led to his dismissals in the last two Tests, dug in uncharacteristically and top-scored with 40. The innings saw him face 98 deliveries with three four and a six.

The usual flamboyance associated with a Pant innings was all but thrown out the window, save for the rare fleeting moment. For most of his stay at the crease, the left-hander showed patience in removing the bowlers and also bowled plenty of leaves outside the off stump. Speaking to the press at the end of the day, Pant revealed that the change in ploy was more due to the unusually spicy nature of the SCG surface.

“I think in that innings I wasn’t in a state of mind where I wanted to take charge of the game because the wicket was doing too much and the kind of situation we were in,” Pant said.

“Sometimes you have to play cricket in a more sensible way. There might have been a 50-50 chance I could have taken at the start of that innings, but sometimes you have to play safer cricket, especially given the way the wicket was behaving .

“And playing inside, I felt like I could play a bit of defensive cricket. Yes, there is a time to attack but you have to feel it from the inside. I can’t premeditate that I’m going to play this way. Whatever the game asked me to do that day, that’s what I tried to do and that was the mindset.

Pant also suffered a severe blow on his hand while bowling from Mitchell Starc. The impact of the injury seemed immense and Pant was seen grimacing. However, it must be recognized that the left-hander continued without problem and did not let the performance haunt his judgment or his temperament. Recalling the incident, Pant was quick to confess the pain.

“I think it’s definitely painful, but you know sometimes you have to work hard for the team and that’s OK. Not thinking about where I got hit, but just playing the ball to the best of my ability, that’s the only thing I can do and that’s what I did.

Although Pant showed remarkable courage on a grueling day, much of that was down to the immense discipline shown by the Australian bowlers. Of the 72.3 overs India faced, 23 were first overs. Scott Boland (4-31) was not only the most successful bowler in the exhibition but also the most economical as his economy rate was 1.50 runs per over. Pant thanked the Australians for their immense accuracy with the ball and admitted that India was struggling to make runs.

“I think a lot of the time you will be looking for a loose ball which you rarely get in a Test match, especially the type of bowling attack, they have the kind of experience that they have, they are quite accurate with their line and their lengths, but that’s the challenge of Test cricket. Like I said before, continue to find ways every day to make this happen for you and your team. We really didn’t have too many races coming up.

If India crossed the 180-run mark, it was thanks to captain Jasprit Bumrah who used the long handle to create a 17-ball 22 that also included a huge six off his counterpart Pat Cummins. Pant and India are aware that their total is at least 40-50 runs short of a competitive score, but the tourists would take inspiration from their exploits in Perth.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a normal score, but I think anything over 220 to 250 would be a normal score. But still, it’s a very competitive score because the way the ball is moving now, I think there’s a lot of help for the bowler and hopefully we can capitalize on that.

The final moments of the day witnessed explosive drama as Sam Konstas got into a heated argument with Bumrah. It all started with Usman Khawaja taking his time to stand guard and confront the Indian captain, which upset the latter. Konstas, from the non-striker end, unleashed his share of words which further angered Bumrah. The referees finally had to intervene. The incident boosted India’s pace as they removed Khawaja off the next ball, which was also the last delivery of the day.

Like many others, Pant also felt it was a time-wasting tactic to ensure India doesn’t get another one, but said he didn’t hear the conversation.

“I feel like they had a little conversation… they wanted to waste time. I think that’s why he had a conversation with Jassi. [Bumrah]. He said something that I didn’t hear, but I think that’s the only thing he wanted to do – just wait a little while so he wouldn’t beat us anymore.