01 January,2025 08:12 AM IST | Melbourne | R Kaushik
Rishabh Pant in the dugout at Melbourne. Pic/Getty Images
This hasn't been a tour to remember for Rishabh Pant. On his return to a land he has had in the palm of his hand since making a classy century six years back at the SCG, the wicketkeeper-batter has been competent behind the sticks, but underwhelming in front of it, not embracing the responsibility that comes with being a Test No. 5.
Pant is a force of nature, a compelling entity that has defied all predictions, thrown all convention out the window. Over the years, he has batted like only he can - with flair and irreverence, with little respect for reputation and pedigree, and with tremendous belief in his propensity to pull off the impossible. Who is to argue with any of those? He has stacked up a spectacular CV of bucking the odds, not least in his miraculous and double-quick recovery from the car accident of two years back that threatened more than just his cricketing career.
If Sydney 2019 was a watershed moment, the little man added to his growing collection of fans Down Under in 2020-21 with a stunning 97 at the same ground in a draw that could so easily have been more. He backed that up with a memorable unbeaten 89 at the Gabba, where India mounted a record chase of 328, consigning Australia to their first defeat in Brisbane since 1988.
Australian spectators, who harbour huge respect for anyone who takes the fight to their heroes, were primed for at least a couple of Pant specials when the Indians landed in Perth in the second week of November. But Pant has been a singular, if not solitary, batting disappointment. His returns of 154 from four Tests, average 22, highest 37, are nothing to write home about; he has been more in the news for his selection of shots at inopportune moments.
In both innings in the Boxing Day Test defeat, Pant got himself out. With fields set exactly for the kind of shots that led to his downfall. Pant isn't a babe in the woods anymore; in February, he will complete eight years at the international level and the fact that he has been promoted to No. 5 is indicative enough of the faith the team management has in his ability to play the situation. By not following those maxims, he has massively let himself and his colleagues down.
Rohit Sharma, himself in the middle of a disastrous run, refused to outright castigate his stumper, though he did say, "He needs to understand what is required from himself." In the same breath, Rohit referenced the success Pant has enjoyed with his unorthodoxy, making it clear that there will be no pressure from the leadership group to rejig his batting philosophy. That places greater onus on Pant to reassess his thinking, more than his batting.
