India vs Australia: Ricky Ponting Disappointed After Rishabh Pant Drops Will Pucovski Twice

Former cricketer Ricky Ponting expressed his disappointment over Rishabh Pant’s woeful wicket-keeping on Thursday after the latter dropped two catches of debutant Will Pucovski on the first day of the third Test match against Australia. Ponting went as far as saying that the Indian has dropped more catches than any other wicket-keeper in the world since his debut. The misses indeed proved costly for India as the young batsman went on to make an impressive half century.

The first opportunity came up in the 22nd over, when Pucovski was batting at just 26. Ravi Ashwin managed to get an outside edge off the Australian’s bat and what looked like a straight forward catch was dropped by Pant.

Three overs later, Pant was presented with another opportunity, when pacer Mohammed Siraj bowled a short ball to Pucovski who botched an attempted pull shot and the ball went up in the air just behind the stumps. Pant had to rush back to grab it but he fumbled and the ball slipped between his fingers.

Also Read: Will Pucovski & Marnus Labuschagne Make Indian Bowlers Toil, Slam Fifties on Day One

Pant attempted to get hold of the ball again and at one moment, it looked as though he had completed the job. The Indian side even began celebrating, before a closer look of the incident established that the ball had touched the ground. Pucovski was recalled to the crease.

Check out the clip here:

A rollercoaster of emotions for Will Pucovski! Initially given out, but on closer inspection he's recalled to the crease! #OhWhatAFeeling@Toyota_Aus | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/WgT5lCRjAE

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2021

A disappointed Ponting said Pant’s wicket-keeping is always going to be questioned. “Since his debut in Test cricket, he’s dropped more catches than any other keeper in the world. That highlights he has got some work to do with his keeping,” Ponting said.

The former Australian skipper said that the two catches that Pant dropped should have been taken and that he was lucky that Pucovski did not go on to make a century or a double century, considering how the surface favoured the batsmen this time around. At the end of Day 1, Australia were at 166 for the loss of two wickets.

Also Read: Mohammed Siraj Reveals Reason Behind Tears During National Anthem Ahead of Third Test at Sydney

In his Test career, Pant has taken 63 catches and affected two stumps in 15 matches, but his skills as a wicket-keeper have often invited scrutiny.

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