Rishabh Pant endured a tough day at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), taking a series of painful blows to his body from Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland during the opening day of the fifth and final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 on Friday, January 3.
The Indian wicket-keeper-batsman was hit on the arm, hand, around the neck and on the helmet, and even had to receive treatment from the on-field physiotherapist, but he is still carrying his team's hopes after another first-class failure in the ongoing New Year's Test against Australia.
Rishabh Pant falls to Scott Boland after a heroic fight in the New Year's Test
However, Rishabh Pant was unable to survive the incredible planning by Scott Bolland and Pat Cummins, as his hard work and patience vanished in the blink of an eye at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). In the 57th over, Scott Bolland bowled a long ball outside off.
Left-handed batsman Rishabh Pant saw a scoring opportunity and went for the pull, but misjudged it. The ball hit the bat extension and flew straight to center, where Pat Cummins hit the ball low. This ended Pant's bold and courageous innings of 40 runs off 98 balls in the ongoing New Year Test at the SCG.
Rishabh Pant bears the pain but Rohit Sharma's support steals the show
After his disappointing dismissal, Rohit Sharma's gesture has gone viral on social media. The Indian skipper was seen feeling bad for Pant, as he was hoping to get a big hit from the wicket-keeper after all his hard work and pain he endured during his stay at the crease at the SCG.
As Rishabh Pant made his way to the Indian dressing room, Rohit Sharma's face told the whole story and he even patted the Indian wicket-keeper-batsman on the back and praised his efforts against the fearsome bowling of Australian bowlers Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland in Sydney. .
The way Pant stood tall despite taking several bad knocks on his body and helped India stabilize the innings, was worthy of such support and applause from the Indian skipper. Pant added a valuable 48 runs off 151 balls for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 26 runs off 95 balls.
Watch Rohit Sharma's warm gesture to Rishabh Pant:
– Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) January 3, 2025
Meanwhile, India's first innings of the Sydney Test ended with a disappointing score of 185, with Rishabh Pant the top scorer for the visiting team against Australia. This was the seventh time in the last eight Tests that India had been bowled out within 80 runs in the first innings.
Jasprit Bumrah will have to give his best on Day 2 at the SCG
The gloomy weather combined with the grassy pitch and new ball offers the Indian bowlers an opportunity to make an impact in the ongoing New Year's Test at the SCG, which is offering help to the fast bowlers. If the Indian bowlers hit the right areas, the Australian batsmen could also have a tough time, just like the touring side in the ongoing fifth and final Test in Sydney.
Scott Boland once again proved to be India's biggest threat, taking three wickets, including a perfectly placed full delivery to send Jadeja back and sparking a quick collapse. Despite the underwhelming batting performance, India are not out of the competition yet and Bumrah, as the leader of the bowling attack, will need to step up again to keep India's hopes alive in the Sydney Test.