Rishabh Pant is getting into a habit of dropping catches and especially of those of well-set batsmen. The same was the case during the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy test at Sydney, where Rishabh Pant dropped Australian opener Will Pucovski. And if the dropped catch left fans furious, some of them erupted after Pant falsely claimed to have caught the ball despite it grassed before.
Rishabh Pant’s False Claim For Catch
Rishabh Pant made a mess of a catch by not only dropping it first but later claiming to have caught it when replays clearly showing the ball was grassed before he collected it. Moreover, Pant was seen celebrating the dismissal which to his misery was ruled not out by the third umpire.
Debutant opener Will Pucovski was the batsman to have the decision reviewed and continue his innings. Pucovski had mistimed a short ball from bowler Mohammad Siraj which took the top edge and flew to the keeper Rishabh Pant.
Pant, while moving backwards failed to latch on to the catch which he got hold of in his follow-through, but not before the ball had touched the ground.
A rollercoaster of emotions for Will Pucovski! Initially given out, but on closer inspection he's recalled to the crease! #OhWhatAFeeling@Toyota_Aus | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/WgT5lCRjAE
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2021
Although Pant and the Indian team got into a celebration, the onfield umpire reviewed the dismissal and rightly reversed the decision.
"The third umpire is looking for conclusive evidence to say the ball has bounced … and in this particular case the fingers weren't underneath the ball from the keeper." – Simon Taufel #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/zhroJTRu53
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 7, 2021
Fans Furious With Pant
Fans on Twitter heavily trolled the young keeper for not just dropping the catch but also for the false claim of holding on to it. Pant’s misery just adds to his inconsistency behind the stumps as questions begin to arise over his wicketkeeping. Earlier in the day, Pant had also failed to hold on to a catch off Ravi Ashwin; Pucovski again the batsman.
Will Pucovski Shines on Debut
Debutant opener Will Pucovski made a useful half-century in this first innings in test cricket. His contribution helped put on a century stand with Manus Labuschagne after the early dismissal of David Warner. Although he was reprieved courtesy of few drop catches, Pucovksi’s composure at the crease was well acclaimed. Former captain Ricky Ponting was impressed with the debutant. “Very impressed with his innings today”, Ponting said. The opening batsman shows ‘promising sign and rapt’ for the longest format, Ponting further added.