Watch: Rohit Sharma’s incredible gesture for Rishabh Pant after his Cheteshwar Pujara-like effort at SCG

Rishabh Pant endured a tough day at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), taking a series of painful blows on his body from Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland during the opening day of the fifth and final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 on Friday, January 3.

The Indian wicketkeeper-batter was struck on the arm, hand, around the neck, and on the helmet, and even he had to get treatment from the physio on the field, but he still carried on his team’s hopes following another top-order failure in the ongoing New Year’s Test against Australia.

Rishabh Pant falls to Scott Boland after heroic fight in the New Year's Test

However, Rishabh Pant could not survive Scott Boland and Pat Cummins' stunning planning, as his hard work and patience flushed in a jiffy at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). In the 57th over, Scott Boland bowled a back-of-a-length delivery outside off.

Read Also: Gautam Gambhir’s Indian dressing room fragmented! Journalist makes shocking 'Perth Test' revelation

The left-handed batter Rishabh Pant saw a chance to score and went for a pull, but he mistimed it. The ball hit the splice of the bat and flew straight to mid-on, where Pat Cummins took a low catch. This ended Pant's gritty yet brave innings of 40 runs from 98 balls in the ongoing New Year’s Test at the SCG.

Rishabh Pant endures pain but Rohit Sharma’s support steals the show

Following his disappointing dismissal, Rohit Sharma’s gesture is going viral on social media. The Indian skipper was seen feeling bad for Pant, as he would have been hoping for a big knock from the wicketkeeper after all his hard work and pain he bore during his stay on the crease at the SCG.

As Rishabh Pant made his way to the Indian dressing room, Rohit Sharma’s face told the whole story, and even he patted the Indian wicketkeeper’s back, applauding his efforts against the fearsome bowling from Australian pacers Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Scott Boland in Sydney.

Read Also: Watch: Rohit Sharma's name removed from India's team sheet after heated chat with Gautam Gambhir

The way Pant stood tall despite facing several nasty blows on his body and helped India to stabilize the innings, he deserved such backing and applause from the Indian skipper. Pant added valuable 48 runs off 151 balls for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 26 runs off 95 balls.

Watch Rohit Sharma's heart-warming gesture for Rishabh Pant:

pic.twitter.com/b5uC3hJgmA

— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) January 3, 2025

Meanwhile, India's first innings in the Sydney Test ended at a disappointing 185, with Rishabh Pant being the top scorer for the visitors against Australia. This marked the seventh time in their last eight Tests that India has been bowled out within 80 overs in the first innings.

Jasprit Bumrah will have to bring his best on Day 2 at the SCG

The gloomy weather with a grassy pitch and a fresh new ball offers Indian bowlers a chance to make an impact in the ongoing New Year’s Test at the SCG, which is offering assistance to the fast bowlers. If the Indian bowlers hit the right areas, the Australian batters could also face a tough time, just like the touring side in the ongoing fifth and final Test in Sydney.

Scott Boland once again proved to be India's biggest threat, claiming three wickets, including a perfectly placed full delivery to send Jadeja back and spark a quick collapse. Despite the underwhelming batting performance, India isn't out of the contest yet, and Bumrah, as the leader of the bowling attack, will need to step up once again to keep India’s hopes alive in the Sydney Test.