Star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant played a counter-attacking innings of 93 runs against Bangladesh during India’s 1st innings of the 2nd ongoing Test in Dhaka on Friday (December 23). The stumper faced a total of 105 balls and, with the help of seven fours and five sixes, made another 90+ score in red-ball matches, but for the sixth time, he failed to convert it into a three-digit score.
The Delhi-based cricketer has five centuries to his name in 32 Tests to date, and the figure would have easily been 11 had Pant converted his six 90s into 100s as well. But the 25-year-old is unbothered by the conversion rate and said he doesn’t care much about the landmarks.
After he got out for 93 on Day 2, former India women’s cricket team captain Anjum Chopra asked Pant if the ‘nervous 90s’ had an impact on him, to which he replied, “As an individual, I don’t think about the landmark so much. Three figures are just a number for me, I try to play out the situation most of the times. If it happens, it’s good. If it doesn’t, can’t control that.”
However, he agreed that he didn’t capitalise on the opportunity to reach his sixth Test hundred in 54 innings.
“As an individual, I am fine because I knew I was batting well. I didn’t capitalise because I missed my hundred, but I’m happy that Shreyas Iyer and I got our team out of trouble,” said the wicketkeeper-batter.
Pant came out to bat at No. 5 for India in the first innings of the second Test and added 159 runs for the fifth wicket with No. 6 batter Shreyas Iyer. They helped India make a comeback from 94 for 4 and build a handsome first innings lead. Like Pant, Iyer also failed to score a century, and for the second inning, he got out in the 80s. He made 86 in the first innings of the series opener and followed it up with 87 in the ongoing Dhaka match.
