In the aftermath of the series-conceding loss in the Melbourne Test, India head coach Gautam Gambhir had emphasised on a team-first approach, leaving it to the players to decide whether their natural game would work for the team’s cause, while skipper Rohit Sharma was more direct on placing the onus on Rishabh Pant to work out his way for what’s in the best interest of the team.

In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series, Pant, known for his ultra-aggressive style of play, has often succumbed to high-risk strokes that have left him with scores of 37, 1, 21, 28, 9, 28, 30. However, on day one of the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which laid down a green strip, Pant not only curbed his natural instincts but manoeuvred his way taking multiple body blows to a laborious 98-ball 40 during which he hit only four boundaries.

Advertisement

Pant, who came in to bat just after India lost Shubman Gill on the last ball before lunch, took the visitors to tea for the loss of one more wicket, and more importantly, steadied the ship momentarily with a 48-run fifth wicket stand with Ravindra Jadeja. But more than the scorecard, it was Pant’s change of approach that stood out on the day.

“I think, in this innings, I was not in a frame of mind to take charge of the game because the wicket was doing too much. And the kind of situation we were in and while playing inside I felt like I could do like play a little bit of defensive cricket. Yes, there is a time to attack but when you have to feel that from inside. I can’t just pre-meditate that I’m going to play this way whatever the game asked me to do on that given day that’s what I try to do and that was the mindset.”

“I think it’s a little bit not very difficult,” Pant said as he spoke about prioritising survival over strokeplay.

“Yes, the initial part would be very difficult because when you see a ball which you can hit but sometimes you have to play more sensible cricket, I would say. Like there might be a 50-50 chance which I could have taken early on in this innings but sometimes you have to play more secure cricket, especially the way [SCG] wicket was behaving we knew that if we get one more wicket here we might lose two-three in quick succession so that was the idea behind the way I was playing and last match there was nothing much to do the kind of target we had I think I had to play that [defensively] way so I think pretty fine with the way I’m playing,” he added.

Rohit’s was an emotional decision

Terming Rohit Sharma’s decision to sit out of the final Test after a prolonged slump in form, Pant termed it an emotional yet selfless act before adding that they all see him “as a leader”. Rohit has been battling poor form during the series against Australia and ended up with just 31 runs from three matches.

“I think definitely it was an emotional decision. Because he’s been captain for a long time we see him as a leader of the team but I think there are some decisions that you are not involved with and it’s a very management call so I was not part of that conversation so can’t explain anything other than that,” he said.

Pant also opened up on the final over drama that led to an exchange of words between Jasprit Bumrah and Sam Konstas before the 31-year-old stand-in skipper got the better of Usman Khawaja to wrap up the opening day’s proceedings at the SCG.

Pant believes that Konstas was trying to ‘waste some time’ just before stumps that led to the heated confrontation with Bumrah. He said though he couldn’t hear what was said from his position behind the stumps, he was certain that Australia wanted to avoid facing another Indian over.

The incident took place with a few minutes to go for stumps when Khawaja tried to sway out of the way before Bumrah’s penultimate delivery of the over just when the bowler started his run-up. In response, the pacer shrugged at him and the umpire before Konstas, at the non-striker’s end, got involved and said something to Bumrah, who replied back strongly. The on-field umpire finally had to intervene to resume play.

“I feel they had a little chitchat; they wanted to waste some time. I feel that’s the reason Konstas had a conversation with Jasprit Bumrah. He said something; I didn’t hear it. But I feel that’s the only thing which he wanted to do — waste some time so we don’t get to bowl one more over,” Pant told reporters on Friday.

Although Australia were successful in avoiding another over, Bumrah had the last laugh when he got Khawaja out on the last ball before stumps. Bumrah turned to Konstas to celebrate and the rest of his teammates joined in. The teenage opener gently walked off as Australia ended an otherwise successful day at 9/1 in response to India’s first innings score of 185.

Australia’s SCG debutant Beau Webster hoped that Konstas would back it up on the field on Saturday. “I’m not really sure (what happened), it’s an interesting one,” Webster said in the press conference.

“Sam is a very confident young man, and that’s what youngsters do these days — they get after it. He’s got all the skills and all the talent to back it up, so hopefully, he has a really good day tomorrow and puts a few runs on the board,” Webster said.