Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25: Plucky Pant holds fort on a bruising day

On a spicy pitch, batters endured a barrage of hostile deliveries and none bore the brunt more than Pant whose gritty innings mirrored his perseverance.

Sydney: Rishabh Pant’s resilience and determination shone through in a bruising opening day of the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

On a spicy Sydney Cricket Ground pitch that tested both technique and temperament, the Indian batters endured a barrage of hostile deliveries, with at least five players suffering painful blows.

However, none bore the brunt more than Pant, whose gritty innings of 40 mirrored his perseverance.   

The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter was struck repeatedly -- on his forearm, thigh, shoulder, helmet grill, and abdomen guard -- over a grueling two-and-a-half-hour stay at the crease. Despite taking as many as eight hits, Pant displayed unwavering determination, shielding his team from further damage and adding crucial runs on a pitch offering seam movement and uneven bounce.

For Pant, who has already overcome one of life’s toughest battles -- a near-fatal accident followed by a prolonged and arduous recovery -- the pain of those body blows seemed like minor inconveniences. His ability to absorb physical punishment and remain mentally strong underscored his threshold for pain and resolve.

"I think this is the first time I've gotten hit so much but you know in cricket you can't plan anything," said Pant in his comments after the day's play. "So everything happens for the first time for sure at some point of time in your career but that was me today so not thinking about that too much," he added while conceding that the blows he took were painful. 

"Definitely it's painful but sometimes you have to do the hard work for the team and that's okay," he noted. "I was not thinking about where I got hit but (I was) just playing the ball to the best of my abilities. That's the only thing I can do and that's what I did."

Addressing his first ever news conference since his return to international cricket following the accident, Pant felt India's total of 185 was a little less than par but competitive enough. 

"I think anything over 220-250 would be a par score, but (it's) still a very competitive score because the way the ball is moving now, I think there's a lot of help for the bowlers."

This is perhaps the toughest pitch that the Indians have encountered on this tour and it reflected in their total despite most batters attempting to put a price on their wicket.

"I think it (pitch) should remain the same, hopefully for us," Pant replied. "But I feel it was a tough pitch. The ball was doing quite a bit off the wicket. Especially after the end of the second session, I would say. But you know, as a cricketer, you just have to adjust to whatever kind of condition you get. And just try to make the most out of it."

Whether chastened by dressing-room dressing down or self realisation, Pant showed he can play bat time, play the situation while keeping his "natural game" safely tucked in his coffin. 

"I think it's a little bit, not very difficult, I would say," said Pant when asked how difficult it was for him to shun his natural instincts and play the waiting game. "Yes, initially it would be very difficult because when you see a ball which you can hit but sometimes you have to play more sensible cricket. I would say there might be a 50-50 chance which I could have taken early on in this innings but sometimes you have to play more secure cricket, especially with the way the wicket was behaving, we knew that if we lose one wicket here we might lose 2-3 in a quick succession. So that was the idea behind the way I was playing. And (in) the last match, there was nothing much to do. The kind of target we had, I think I had to play that way. So I think I am pretty fine with the way I'm playing."