Veteran India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik sympathized with left-armer Rishabh Pant as the latter failed to reach his century against Sri Lanka in Mohali on Friday. Pant failed to score his 5th Test century as he was on 96 when Sri Lankan pacer Suranga Lakmal dropped his off-stump with a brilliant delivery on the first day of the opening Test.
During his innings, Pant shared a 53-run stand for the fifth wicket with Shreyas Iyer, and added another 100 runs from just 108 balls with Ravindra Jadeja. Pant’s innings included nine fours and four sixes, taking his score to 96. He punished the Lankan bowlers in every direction of the IS Bindra Stadium before Lakmal reached the end.
Explaining to Cricbuzz how a nervous 90 could have played a role in Pant’s dismissal, Karthik said, “When you are batting in the 90s, it messes with your head. It always gets to you and when you’re in your 90s you’re trying different things.”
“You know the board is ticking and a special figure is about to come,” the 36-year-old said.
The show, which also featured Harsha Bhogle, lauded the young wicketkeeper-batsman for his scintillating innings and Karthik further narrated how Pant took his innings to perfection in Mohali.
“If you divide Rishabh Pant into two parts, today the second half of his innings will be the brash Rishabh that he likes,” he said. “But the first half of his innings was a tribute to the media and all those people who said, ‘Rishabh please come and take your time before you play your shots.
Despite Pant’s heartbreak, the partnership went on well, although India posted 357/6 at the end of the first day of the first Test.
Currently, the visitors are trailing by 495 runs in their first essay, with Jadeja’s unbeaten 175 off 228 balls as India declared the innings at 574/8 on the second day.
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