The cricketing world has seen many comebacks where teams have risen from the ashes and turned certain-looking defeats into unbelievable victories. The 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy was one such series where the Indian side after being thrashed in the first test, scripted one of the most memorable comebacks in the history of the game.
Many players in that Indian line-up stood up and played a pivotal role in order to win the series, and Rishabh Pant was one of them. However, recently it has been revealed by Ajinkya Rahane that Rishabh Pant was angry at Pujara after missing a hundred at Sydney.
In the fourth innings of the Sydney test, Team India was in a spot of bother as while chasing a target of 407 runs, the side had lost 3 wickets around the 100-run score. It was when Pant arrived on the crease and went on to build a crucial partnership with Pujara. Pant played with a strike rate of over 82 and was hitting the bowlers comfortably.
While he was nearing his century, he stepped forward and looked to hit the ball over the covers to reach the triple figures. But unfortunately, that particular delivery by Lyon spun, took the outside edge, and went towards gully where Cummins took a comfortable catch. Pant missed a well-deserved hundred by 3 runs which understandably was disappointing for the keeper-batsman.
Pant was angry with Pujara after missing the century
In a recently released documentary on India’s 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy victory, the then captain Ajinkya Rahane revealed that Pant, after missing his century, was angry with Pujara. Pant and Pujara themselves are seen recalling the event in the documentary. They revealed that Pant wasn’t aware that he was on playing on 97 before Pujara reminded him.
Pujara said that he asked Pant to bat cautiously for the next three runs as he wanted him to complete his century without taking any risks. Pant then is seen saying that had Pujara not reminded him of his century, he might have continued playing as he was and could’ve completed his century.
“Rishabh… see for a while, try to stick. You can work in singles and doubles too. You don’t have to hit a boundary,” this is what Pujara told him, Pant said.
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Pant also agreed that he was a little angry as Pujara unintentionally had gone on to put him in a double-minded state, a state which he doesn’t like to be in.
“I like it when I’m very clear in my plans that this is what I want to do. We had built such good momentum. In my mind, the only thing at that time was ‘damn, what just happened?’ Because if I reached 100 there, it would have been one of my best,” said Pant in a recently released docu-series ‘Bandon Mein Tha Dum’.