Rishabh Pant 90s out: The Indian wicket-keeper batter was devastated to be devoid of a fifth Test century today.
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During the first day of the first Test of the ongoing Sri Lanka’s tour of India in Mohali, India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant scored his eighth Test half-century to put India in a commendable position.
Known for his tendency of changing the game, Pant stood tall on his reputation scoring 96 (97) with the help of nine fours and four sixes before playing on a Suranga Lakmal delivery in the 81st over.
Promoted to bat above Shreyas Iyer (27) at No. 5, Pant played a pivotal role in sharing a 104-run partnership for the sixth wicket alongside all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (45*). Rescuing India from 175/4, the left-handed duo powered India to 357/6 in 85 overs at Stumps, Day 1.
It was only on the eighth delivery that he faced that Pant took the attack against Sri Lanka spinner Lasith Embuldeniya hitting him for a six over long-on. Having hit more boundaries post tea, Pant completed a 73-ball half-century by running a single off Embuldeniya in the 74th over.
In the following Embuldeniya over, Pant dictated terms to hit two sixes and as many fours to leave the left-arm spinner clueless as he crossed the 100-run mark.
Facing another spinner in Dhananjaya de Silva in the next over, Pant hit a four and a six not sparing any ordinary delivery by the spinners. With dancing down the track being his forte at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium today, Pant hit two more fours in de Silva’s subsequent overs.
Full list of Rishabh Pant 90s innings (table updated on December 23, 2022)
In what would’ve been his fifth Test century and second at home, Pant surely missed out on achieving a cricketing milestone. Having said that, in terms of his contribution to the Indian innings, it was a magnificent innings by the 24-year old player.
It is worth mentioning that this is the fifth time in 49 Test innings that Pant has been dismissed between a score of 90-99.
Given the style of play Pant possesses, there will be times when he will receive criticism for gifting away his wicket or not achieving personal milestones. However, as long as he continues to play these impact-generating innings for India, fans will have to bear with a few consequences.
| Runs | BF | 4s | 6s | Opposition | Ground | Year |
| 92 | 84 | 8 | 4 | West Indies | Rajkot | 2018 |
| 92 | 134 | 11 | 2 | West Indies | Hyderabad | 2018 |
| 97 | 118 | 12 | 3 | Australia | Sydney | 2021 |
| 91 | 88 | 9 | 5 | England | Chennai | 2021 |
| 96 | 97 | 9 | 4 | Sri Lanka | Mohali | 2022 |
| 93 | 104 | 7 | 5 | Bangladesh | Mirpur | 2022 |
