|| India Correspondent ||
Rishabh Pant smashed his maiden Test hundred at home against England in the fourth Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Day 2. He came to bat when the team was struggling at 80/4 and instead of playing fast, he took time to adjust in the middle and played quite cautiously.
However, he slowly reached fifty before the visitors took the new ball. But soon after he changed the gear and reached another fifty quickly and scored a century as well which helped his side take the hosts a lead as well. However, rather than his century, his reverse-sweep off James Anderson in the first ball of the 83rd over of the Indian innings surprised everyone.
Meanwhile, seeing his shot off the pace bowler, veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh praised Pant.
"Credit to him. You need guts to play a shot like that. This shot will remain in Jimmy Anderson's mind for a long time. When he retires and thinks about the best shots that have been played against him, this shot will cause him pain because it is a question of ego that a small kid played a reverse sweep against such a big bowler," Harbhajan Singh said during a discussion on Star Sports.
Harbhajan Singh also said that Rishabh Pant has become a different player altogether since India's tour of Australia, where he came in place of Wriddhiman Saha and eventually cemented his place as well.
"Rishabh Pant's innings was absolutely phenomenal. Since the time he has come back from Australia, the runs he has scored there, he is a totally different player. He is taking the responsibility on his shoulder and got a great understanding of his game and is playing according to the demands of the situation," said Singh.
"His natural game is that of a stroke-player who can demolish any bowler but he showed today that if it is not required, you also need to know how to defend. He generally plays the big shots against the spinners but he gave himself the time to settle as the team needed him to play cautiously and build a partnership," he concluded.
