Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was dismissed cheaply by the offspinner Nathan Lyon during the second innings of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India in Perth.
Playing just the first ball from the offspinner, Rishabh Pant ran down the track in an attempt to disrupt the bowler’s rhythm. However, he was deceived by Nathan Lyon this time. The veteran spinner saw him coming down the track and pushed his line wider of the stumps.
The ball turned away further after pitching as wicketkeeper Alex Carey collected the ball superbly and whipped the bails off. Pant also lost his balance which further didn’t allow him to come back into the crease and was eventually stumped.
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Watch: Rishabh Pant gets fooled on the first ball from Nathan Lyon
It was a sigh of relief for Australia to see Rishabh Pant walking back to the pavilion. Australian bowlers had toiled hard since the morning in search of wickets. Pant can be a dangerous batter and could have taken the game away from Australia.
However, his wicket gave Australia an opening which they would like to exploit. Rishabh Pant was dismissed for just 1 off 4 balls as India look to extend their lead further.
Battles between Rishabh Pant and Nathan Lyon
Rishabh Pant and Nathan Lyon have been involved in a no. of interesting battles so far. While Pant has had the overall upper hand over the offspinner, it was Lyon this time who trumped the wicketkeeper-batter.
In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 played in Australia, Rishabh Pant used his feet and played an attacking game against Lyon to put him under pressure. The ploy worked as India went on to win the series 2-1 and Pant played an important role in it.
Meanwhile, it wasn’t a great match for Rishabh Pant on the batting perspective. The left-hander played a key role in the first innings and scored a crucial 37 but could not score much in the second innings.
On the other hand, it was Nathan Lyon’s first wicket of the match as well. The offspinner has not found his rhythm so far as the Indian batters have played him well.
India solidify its position in Perth
Despite losing Pant, India remain in a strong position in the game with their lead crossing the 400-run mark. The openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul put on a huge partnership or the first wicket and laid a strong foundation.
Jaiswal continued after the fall of Rahul’s wicket and put on another good partnership before the No. 3 Devdutt Padikkal lost his wicket. India lost three wickets in quick succession and lost 3-8 at one stage.
But Virat Kohli is still there at the crease unbeaten on 40 off 74 balls at Tea. India were 359-5 with Washington Sundar giving Kohli good company. Sundar was not out on 14 as India aim to give a huge target to Australia in the fourth innings.