'I am certain Dravid must have given him a 'bamboo'': Gavaskar tears into Pant again, says 'that's not the way to play'
Sunil Gavaskar has added to his criticism of Rishabh Pant, once again pointing out his dismissal during India’s second innings against South Africa on Day 3 in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Sunil Gavaskar has added to his criticism of Rishabh Pant, once again pointing out his dismissal during India's second innings against South Africa on Day 3 in Johannesburg on Wednesday. Pant was dismissed for a three-ball duck, trying to give Lungi Ngidi the charge and getting out caught behind. Responding to a fan query that stated 'why is all the focus on Pujara and Rahane, when Pant too hasn't scored much since the Australia series', Gavaskar identified the origin of this specific pattern of dismissal that has crept into Pant's game.
"It's a valid question. This is something one could understand if Rishabh Pant had been batting on 30 and 40. This is something he had not done in Australia. There he applied himself, recognised that there will be hard times at the beginning when you come in to bat and then battling through the hard times, he got set and got to know how the pitch is. And then he played the big shots. That's what he did in Australia," Gavaskar said on The Byju's Cricket Live Show on Star Sports.
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Gavaskar mentioned that it was during the home series against England early last year, where Pant made it a point to run down the wicket to bowlers, but the former India captain added that the young wicketkeeper batter cannot bank on the same approach all the time and expect it to always work for him.
"This is something we saw against England, at the start of the series. When England came to India, he was jumping down the pitch and trying to hit James Anderson… he did that so well. But after that he seems to think that is the only way to play. That is not the way to play and I am pretty certain that in the change room, Rahul Dravid would have given him a hearing, or as they say in cricket, Dravid must have given him a 'bamboo'," added Gavaskar.
