Rishabh Pant somersaults his way to first IPL century in 7 years, Anushka Sharma's reaction sums up RCB's woes vs LSG
After getting signed for a whopping INR 27 crore, the spotlight was on Pant this season, but his repeated failures and struggles with the bat put him under scrutiny straightaway. The wicketkeeper batter endured one of the worst seasons of his IPL career and scored just two 50-plus scores, including one on Tuesday against RCB.
With no pressure of qualification, Pant did find some rhythm back in the last two matches of the season and scored a quickfire 16 off 6 against Gujarat Titans and then followed it up with a century here on Tuesday.
The left-handed batter smashed 10 fours and eight sixes en route to his century and also reached the milestone with a ridiculous shot over cover for a boundary. It was his first century since IPL 2018, and he made sure to celebrate it in style with a somersault.
Following his electrifying celebration, the camera shifted to Virat Kohli's wife and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma in the stands—her smile fading as she watched Pant's brutal assault unfold.
After his underwhelming show in the majority of this season, there were shouts for him to get released in the next auction by some fans and critics, but the swashbuckling batter reminded everyone of his talent with a ferocious knock.
The LSG skipper looked confident in the middle with his approach and more expressive with his shots, whether flicks or pulls for sixes. He did attempt a few of his outrageous shots behind the stumps, but that didn't go as planned. However, whenever he went for a shot in front of the wicket, it had a stamp of authority.
The trademark one-handed six off Suyash Sharma's over and then a maximum over extra cover off Romario Shepherd's delivery were enough to remind his doubters of the talent he possesses.
Pant didn't mind when Jitesh Sharma asked LSG to bat first at the Ekana Stadium as he looked ready to take on the RCB bowling line-up on his own to finish the season on a high. He remained unbeaten on 118 off 61 balls as LSG posted a mammoth 227/3 to pose a big target for RCB in their high-stakes contest. Pant's knock was embellished with 11 fours and 8 sixes.
His return to form is also a good sign for the Indian team, who will travel to England in June for the five-match Test series to kickstart the new World Test Championship Cycle. Pant, who has slammed centuries in the past on English soil, will be crucial for the Indian team, wich has entered transitional phase post Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin's retirements.
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