Rishabh Pant's counter-attacking 91 gives India a glimmer of hope

CHENNAI: Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar lauded Rishabh Pant for his brilliant show, which has given India a glimmer of hope on Day 3 of their first Test against England in Chennai.

Pant came in when the hosts were reeling at 73/4, and once again like how he did in Australia, stitched a useful partnership with senior pro Pujara. The duo raised 119 runs for the fifth wicket as India ended the day at 257/6. "It was a fantastic innings. It was an excellent effort by the youngster. Pant's knock helped us stay in the match,'' complimented Vengsarkar.

The Delhi cricketer played both the medium pacers and spinners of England with ease. "It requires guts to play those shots. Pant was spot on, had excellent timing and his footwork too was good. Some of the shots he played were outstanding and a treat to watch,'' said the former India middle-order batsman, who had slammed three consecutive hundreds at Lords.

In the company of Pant, Pujara also played freely upsetting the plans of Root and Co. "Yes, Pujara too played with lot more freedom and aggression. He is the one who normally plays anchor and holds fort at one end. But today he enjoyed his stint in the middle playing some exquisite inside-out shots, perhaps due to the effect of Pant at the other end,'' observed the former India chief selector.

Pravin Amre, former India batsman and assistant coach of Delhi Capitals, opined that Pant is maturing as a batsman with every innings. "Pant carried forward the momentum from the last innings he played in Australia. Like Down Under here too in Chennai he put up a good stand with Pujara. This shows that he is aware of his responsibilities to serve the team's cause,'' pointed out Amre.

"He has improved vastly in shot selection which was evident in the manner in which he played today. He chose the right ball to attack. Plus he was good in his defence getting well right behind the line of the ball,'' added Amre.

However, the wicketkeeper-batsman once again got out in the 90s. India batting great Sunil Gavaskar complimented Pant for his innings but said that he needs to be more careful.

"He (Pant) has always been an exhilarating player. He can be annoying in the sense we all want to see him carry on and bat because he gives so much enjoyment with the way he plays. What happens with Rishabh Pant is there is always that very thin line between being carefree and careless. Once he realises what is that little line between being carefree and careless, he will be a lot more consistent," said Gavaskar while commentating during the drinks break.