'Tune bola neeche maar...': Rishabh Pant shouts after Shubman Gill tells him to stop hitting it in the air

Hindustan Times

21 hours ago

Indian cricket team's new captain, Shubman Gill and vice-captain, Rishabh Pant, have already given enough entertainment. And we are not even halfway through the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. From enthralling partnerships with contrasting styles of batting to making effective calls in the field, Pant and Gill have been inseparable. Their stump mic chatter has been equally good. They were at it in Headingley and they continued the same at Edgbaston. India's Rishabh Pant, with the team's captain Shubhman Gill, celebrates (@BCCI X)
On Day 4 of the second Test, Gill tried to stop Rishabh Pant from hitting every ball in the air. The attacking keeper batter came out all guns blazing after the fall of KL Rahul's wicket. He got off the mark with a boundary and then hit a six off his fourth ball to break the record for most sixes by a batter in an away country.
Pant was dropped by Zak Crawley when he was on 11 but that didn't stop him from going for the big shots. Despite hitting off-spinner Shoaib Bashir for a couple of boundaries, Pant tried to hit him across the line and missed it completely, almost ending up throwing his wicket away. It was at that point that Gill asked him to play straight and along the ground. What Gill said was not caught on stump mic but Pant's reply was.
"Tune bola neeche marne islie main neeche dekh raha thha (You said to keep it on the ground, that's why I was looking down)," Pant said. "Ab seedhe se hi khelta hu (Now I will play straight)."
Rishabh Pant plays scintillating knock vs England
The flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter lit up the post-lunch session with a whirlwind 63 off just 58 balls — and departed in a way only Pant could.
Trying to launch offspinner Shoaib Bashir over the ropes, Pant not only mistimed the shot but also lost grip of his bat mid-swing. The bat spiralled through the air toward midwicket, nearly striking England fielder Brydon Carse. Meanwhile, the ball soared in the opposite direction — high into the offside — where it was calmly caught by Ben Duckett.
Carse, after collecting Pant's airborne bat, returned it to him as the Indian star walked off to a standing ovation from the Edgbaston crowd. Former England captain Mike Atherton, on commentary for Sky Sports, summed it up aptly: 'An extraordinary innings — and an extraordinary end.'
Pant's explosive knock was vintage chaos. He smashed eight boundaries and three sixes, launching his counterattack just four balls into his innings by dancing down the pitch and hitting Josh Tongue straight back for six. There was a nonchalant flick over square leg for another maximum and an unorthodox swat for four that left him sprawled on the pitch.
But it wasn't just the strokeplay — Pant's innings had moments of comic drama too. He was dropped twice by Zak Crawley and Chris Woakes and had already flung his bat once before lunch while attempting a pull shot on 41. That time, the bat flew nearly 20 meters into the leg side, missing everyone and drawing laughter across the ground.
Hours later, he tried it again — but this time the ball found a fielder, and his bat went flying once more.
With his 63, Pant recorded his 10th Test half-century against England, reinforcing his reputation as one of the most entertaining batters in the longest format.