Image Credit- Getty
It was a really relaxed day in Chennai. Both literally—some had entered donning winter hats—and metaphorically. India had a 308-run lead already. Bangladesh no longer saw much of a purpose in actively participating in this Test. It made sense, in a strange way. This match was very much in the realm of declarations. Better to save their bowlers for the next game. Or perhaps the excess rate was causing them concern.
The batters felt more at ease because of the widely spaced fields. They were walking singles.
At a certain moment, Rishabh Pant lost his patience. He said, “Arre, idhar aayega ek,” pleading with Bangladesh to alter. “Hey, Bhai. Idhar ek. Here’s one fielder. midwicket. He hasn’t played in a Test match in two years. It must have slipped his mind a lot. Sufficiently so that he began playing for both his team and the opponents on the third day of his return.
There are always highlights in a Pant century, and this one was no exception. A crowd accustomed to the tradition of several viewings—you should plan some introspection if you’re from Chennai and have only seen a big-budget film once—appreciated the abundance of scoop shots. Additionally, he only made a straight six by using his bottom hand from the outset. When he played against Chennai Super Kings in Dubai during the IPL three years ago, Matthew Hayden’s analysis refuted the idea that the ball crossing the boundary by chance.
Pant excelled at the Chepauk Test by playing the ball with extremely soft hands, as evidenced by his 39-run score on the opening day of play. Due to his unbreakable bond with everything ridiculous (such as becoming famous as a babysitter before becoming a batter), it is simple to forget that he is also skilled in this area.
The excitement that ensued saw Pant score 19 runs off his first 39 balls against spin, followed by 64 off his final 48 balls, keeping both Shubman Gill and the fans on their feet. Every time they had to celebrate a boundary, Pant seemed to insist on sticking to the same schedule. Two glove punches and two bat taps delivered simultaneously. It looked really amazing and was similar to Troy and Abed’s covert handshake from the popular television show Community, but…
India might have found a fresh and exciting alliance to pursue, while one of their more established ones is likely observing with keen interest. Waiting for it, Rohit Sharma sat in the changing room. Despite having struck the nets during lunch, Virat Kohli made sure to return for it. Pant delivered “it” with a smooth push to the far side. All he needed was one more to reach his century. Gill decided to accept that and savour the moment. Pant, though, pressed for the second. Then he moved a short distance to the side.
Those two or three seconds just before he raised his bat, when the reality of what he’d done set in on Pant, might be one of the only known stretches of time in which he has ever looked overwhelmed.a