Bruising Pant pulverises England

It’s hard to take Rishabh Pant seriously until he gets serious. For all the chirping from behind the stumps and the incorrigible sheepishness, he is more so a pest for oppositions when he has a bat in hand.

England, having experienced it twice already in this four-match series, were not new to his ways, but didn’t appreciate this time either as his audacious 118-ball 101 relieved India of any pressure they felt in pockets during their innings against a largely disciplined English bowling unit.

Having started the day on 24/1 in response to England’s first-innings tally of 205, India fed off of Rohit Sharma’s slow albeit assured stay at the crease. But once the opener was out for 49, the visitors would have believed they could bowl India out inside their score.

The feeling was about as fleeting as Pant’s footwork was brilliant. Complemented adroitly by Washington Sundar, Pant-powered India leapt to 294 for 7 in 94 overs, stretching the all-important lead to 89 runs with three days left in the contest.

Watching England drag themselves off of the field was a telling summary of how they have been outplayed for the third time in three matches. In two Tests preceding this game, several components went into making the contests engaging, most of all poor batting from both sides.

India, obsessed with keeping playing surfaces out of the conversation, showed that they actually could bat when the conditions were to their liking.

On a pitch which did not deteriorate nearly as much as anticipated, England’s bowlers -- James Anderson and Ben Stokes in particular -- toiled till pink and came away with a string of wickets, including that of Virat Kohli (0), Cheteshwar Pujara (17) and Ajinkya Rahane (27).

They had to wait a while before Rohit was felled by Stokes, but at 121/5 -- eventually 146/6 after R Ashwin’s fall -- the tempo was England’s to dictate. They then ran into a freak.

It wasn’t at all obvious at first that Pant would go on to change the course of the Test in one innings. Though compact, he was unusually apprehensive until he had made sure that all the primary boxes were ticked.

He took 82 balls to get to his fifty and gave his coaches something to be happy about. The next 50 was an accurate reflection of his true, un-coached potential. The best in this whirlwind display came in the 83rd over against Anderson.

Having already belted both Anderson and Stokes for two boundaries in each of the previous two overs, Pant was on one knee with a reverse grip and paddled the veteran of 160 Tests over the dumbfounded cordon and to the fine leg fence.

It was the most preposterous stroke in an innings filled with mini-gems. One such even got to him to his third Test hundred as he danced down the track to deposit Root over midwicket fence. The knock rekindled memories of his 73-ball 103 not out against Australia A from not so long ago.

Only, this time he was eventually out to Anderson (caught Root at short mid-wicket), but the effects of the century continued to reverberate through the Narendra Modi stadium on the day, and will for some time to come well beyond Motera.