Cricket

Rishabh Pant wins hearts with gloves and words in the Adelaide Test

India surged to a historic win in the opening Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. This was also the first instance of the Indian team winning the opening Test in Australia. There were many heroes in the triumph for the Indian team but only one managed to equal a world record.

Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant held onto 11 catches in the duration of the first Test. The Delhi glovesman equaled the achievement of AB De Villiers (South Africa) and Jack Russell (England). The 20-year old completed the feat with a catch of Mitchell Starc. With six catches in the first innings and five catches in the second innings, Pant reached the tally of 11 catches behind the wicket.

While Pant shared the record with international legends, he flies solo among the Indians. Wriddhimaan Saha held the previous record with 10 catches in a Test match. Pant had a chance to grab the record with the 12th catch but he was unable to hold onto it.

Despite the enormous achievement, pant actually stood out on the fifth day thanks to his banter with Pat Cummins. In the first innings of the match, Pant had already made his presence felt with the quip of “Everyone’s not Pujara here boys.” Today, he piled the agony on Pat Cummins who was batting with remarkable concentration.

“C’mon Pat, let’s see some sixes here! C’mon Patty,” Pant jibed. He further added, “It’s not easy, it’s not easy to survive here!” The broadcasters were so happy with Pant’s antics that they kept the stump mic turned on for whole over at a time. Even the commentators did not say a word while Pant’s chatter was conveyed clearly.