‘What A Particular Cricketer’: Rahul Dravid Lauds Rishabh Pant Amidst Border Gavaskar Trophy
The void left by MS Dhoni’s retirement within the Indian cricket lineup was shortly crammed by Rishabh Pant, who embraced Take a look at cricket like a “duck to water”, feels former head coach Rahul Dravid. The flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter, who returned after surviving a horrific automobile crash in December 2022, scored a match-winning 89 within the fourth Take a look at on the Gabba and contributed 274 runs all through the sequence, enjoying a key position in India’s historic 2-1 triumph within the 2020-21 tour.
“It is exhausting to think about that, after Dhoni left, you felt there is perhaps a while for somebody to return in and change him,” Dravid informed Star Sports activities.
“I am not saying he is changed him, however definitely in Take a look at cricket, his performances have been completely sensational, an unbelievable efficiency.
“Watching Rishabh there and chasing to get 89 to win that Take a look at match on the Gabba, with every thing on the road and such a depleted facet, to place in that form of efficiency beneath that form of strain — actually sensational… What a particular cricketer he is been. He is simply taken to Take a look at cricket like a duck to water. It’s simply phenomenal.”
Pant’s heroics that included two fifties at 68.50 in 5 innings helped India turn out to be the primary Asian facet to win successive Take a look at sequence wins Down Below.
Within the ongoing five-Take a look at sequence, the 27-year-old scored an important 37 off 78 balls within the first innings of the Perth Take a look at, together with a exceptional six that lifted India’s spirits, serving to them recuperate from 59/5 to 150 all out.
The Jasprit Bumrah-led staff then bowled out Australia for 104 and gained the match by 295 runs to take a 1-0 lead going into the Adelaide Take a look at starting on Friday.
Whereas India have dominated Australia recently, Dravid’s knock of 233 throughout the Adelaide Take a look at in 2003 nonetheless stays a fan-favourite.
Nostalgia and regrets
Reflecting on his knock, Dravid admitted that he nonetheless regrets not successful the sequence. “I am grateful for it, however I would not have voted for myself, put it that means. Most likely, I’ve acquired lots of recency bias as properly,” he continued. “I feel the way in which India has carried out in Australia over the past two sequence specifically — successful sequence there — that counts for lots.
“Nevertheless nice my performances or India’s performances have been, we could not really win that sequence. We got here shut, however we could not get the wickets on the ultimate day in Sydney that we would have liked. “The final two groups which have gone to Australia have executed that, and that is a unbelievable achievement — a terrific achievement — and there have been some completely sensational performances proper via these.”
Dravid was joined by VVS Laxman when India have been reeling at 85/4, particularly after the hosts had posted a mammoth 556 in only a day and a half.
Ganguly run-out: My mistake
The 51-year-old mirrored on the incident the place he had by accident run out his captain Sourav Ganguly and admitted it was his “mistake”. “I used to be considering, ‘I’ve acquired the captain run out. I higher do one thing significant.’ It was completely my mistake getting Sourav (Ganguly) run out. I’ll come clean with that one — it was my mistake. “However, I feel you are simply attempting to bat, you are simply attempting to construct a partnership, you are simply attempting to get to the goal.
“The factor with Laxman and me is that we had batted collectively a few actually large partnerships earlier than that. We did it as soon as in Kolkata in 2001 and even in a home recreation once we first performed South Zone in opposition to West Zone. “So, we had form of batted quite a bit collectively and constructed this partnership. Not that we have been occupied with that once we acquired on the market, however I feel the thought was actually simply to bat and attempt to construct partnerships, sew one thing collectively.”
“It is all the time good batting with Laxman as properly… As a result of he is only a lovely participant to look at and such a beautiful participant. “He actually attacked again, which, in some methods, complemented me fairly properly in how we went about our innings,” he recalled as India gained the Adelaide Take a look at by 4 wickets however the sequence resulted in a 1-1 draw.
