SCG Pitch so far has not been the easiest to bat on.
Sydney Cricket Ground wicket so far has been quite unusual for this venue. Its green top is slowly fading away but has enough juice in it for sharp bounce and skid. We witnessed some good seam bowling from Siraj, Krishna and Reddy in the absence of Bumrah sharing last 5 wickets between them. Things were not easy for India either when they came out to bat for second innings. Mitchell Starc struggled with his length but Scotty Boland and Pat Cummins were on the mark making it difficult for batsmen.
Pant did what he does best even in difficult batting conditions.
India were 59/3 when Rishabh Pant came out to bat. It was not easy out there facing Scott Boland as your fist ball, but Pant advanced and launched the very first ball he faced over long on boundary for a 6 . As Harsha Bogle said it was very very brave short in the context of game and only Rishabh Pant can play like this. He continued on with his flurry of boundaries with his ramp shorts, losing balance but still connecting and scored the fastest test fifty by an overseas player in Australia, 50 of 29 balls. His final score was 61 off 33 balls with four 6s, and six 4s . he finally edged one off Pat Cummin’s shortish outside off delivery. Sunil Gavaskar’s sharp critique following Pant’s dismissal in the first innings of the MCG Test raised questions about Pant’s technique, and style yet he proved everyone wrong with his natural batting style at SCG.
The Impact on the Series.
It truely was an innings of courage , entertainment and trade mark Pant show. Most importantly it came on when his team needed it the most. It gave glimpses of his heroics in last BGT in Gabba that saw India win the series. The big question is, has he done enough for India to win this match , draw the series and retain BGT trophy?.Realistically, India needs to set target around 180 if Jasprit Bumrah will bowl in second Innings. If Bumrah can not bowl in second Innings then India will need to set target around 250. All eyes are on first session tomorrow morning when India resumes at 141/6 with total lead of 145. There is still lot of cricket to be played tomorrow, Fans can only hope that Pant’s innings has helped India enough to get over the line.
