Former India batter Gautam Gambhir did not seem pleased with Rishabh Pant’s approach with the bat on Day 3 in the second Test match against South Africa in Johannesburg.
South Africa ended the third day of the second Test against India at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on a strong note on Wednesday as they raced to 118/2 at stumps, with skipper Dean Elgar unbeaten on 46. Elgar was part of two good partnerships. First a 47-run opening stand with Aiden Markram, followed by a 46-run stand with Keegan Petersen for the second wicket. Meanwhile, Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant was seen sledging South Africa’s No.4 batter Rassie van der Dussen in the final session on the third day. “Batting at No.4 but no idea,” Pant taunted van der Dussen. Former India batter Gautam Gambhir didn’t seem pleased with Pant’s approach towards the South African middle-order batter.
“The easier thing to do is to keep sledging someone and the toughest thing is what you have to face when you have a bat in your hand. I would have liked Rishabh to probably fight in that situation rather than stepping out and going for a big one,” said Gambhir on the post-stumps show on Star Sports.
Pant failed to impress with the bat yet again, as he was dismissed without scoring on the third ball he faced in India’s second innings. The wicketkeeper-batter tried to smash Kagiso Rabada over extra cover, only to be caught behind off an outside edge.
Criticising Pant’s approach with the bat, Gambhir said that Indian youngsters should learn from South African captain Elgar for the way he faced the Indian bowling attack in the third session on Wednesday.
“Disappointment is a very, very understated word to be honest because this is not how you should play Test cricket. Test cricket is about learning a lot from Dean Elgar and that’s the reason I have said that a lot of young Indian batters can learn a lot from Dean Elgar as well because when you play against world-class bowlers, they are not going to give you easy runs,” Gambhir added.