As Rishabh Pant dived into the crease to bring up his second Test ton on English soil, thereby becoming the first wicketkeeper to achieve the feat, there was a raucous ovation from the stands and the Indian dressing room.
The boy from Uttarakhand had played brilliantly throughout the innings taking the game to the English bowling attack as he sailed to the 100-run mark in just 89 deliveries.
IND vs ENG 5th Test: Ton-up Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja Push India Into Driver's Seat at Stumps on Day 1
Onlookers and teammates rising to their feet to applaud a centurion, pump their fists in the air in exultation or bursting out with emotion are all commonplace in world cricket, and in all honesty, if any innings in recent memory deserved such a reception, it was undoubtedly this one.
But, what made it all the more special was the reaction of coach Rahul Dravid who couldn’t contain his joy after witnessing one of his under-19 products deliver a statement performance on English soil.
Rahul Dravid’s reaction to Rishabh Pant’s hundred ❤️ #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/kzxws3lef9
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) July 2, 2022
The man known for his cool and calm demeanour threw his hands up in the air and made audible noises of triumphant howl in acknowledgement of the left-hander’s special performance.
It is nothing short of special if one manages to elicit a rare, roaring emotion from the legendary Indian batsman who has come to personify tranquillity.
IND vs ENG, 1st Test: Six Minutes of Rishabh Pant Madness at Edgbaston – Watch Video
Pant turned redeemer as he saved India a lot of blushes by racking up his fifth tent hundred in the rescheduled game against England in Edgbaston, United Kingdon.
India were in a vulnerable position as Pant walked in to bat with the scoreboard displaying figures of 63 for 3 wickets. And not long after the wicketkeeper-batsman came into the crease, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer lost their wickets in quick succession.
But, Pant did not show any nerves or signs of slowing down as he continued with his trademark aggressive batting style to much success as he smashed the English bowlers all over the park.
The left-hander stabilised the Indian batting unit alongside Ravindra Jadeja who remains unbeaten at 86. Pant fell just shy of a 150-run knock as he fell prey to a Joe Root delivery in the third session of the day.
At the end of day, one Jasprit Bumrah led India finished the day on 338 for the loss of 7 wickets.
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