ENG vs IND 2018: We Were All Very Surprised, Says Sanjay Bangar On Rishabh Pant's Second-Ball Six
Credits: Reuters

Sanjay Bangar, on Saturday, admitted that the team-management was surprised to see Rishabh Pant starting his Test career with a six in the third England vs India Test.

On his second delivery in Test cricket, Pant came dancing down the track and struck the ball over the straight boundary off Adil Rashid’s bowling.

Pant came into the side after replacing injured and out-of-form Dinesh Karthik and it took him just two deliveries to justify the hype surrounding him. He became the 291st Test player for India after captain Virat Kohli handed him his debut cap before the start of the match.

England vs India, Sanjay Bangar, Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant is a confident cricketer: Sanjay Bangar ( England vs India, Credits: Getty)

The southpaw came to the crease at a precarious time. England had managed to dismiss Ajinkya Rahane (81) and Virat Kohli (91) to claw their way back in the game. However, the pressure did not stop Pant from playing his usual game. At the end of the day, he was batting on 22 off just 31 deliveries with the help of 2 fours and a six.

He also became the first India to open his Test cricket account with a six. Overall, he became the twelfth batsman to achieve this incredible feat.

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Speaking at the end of day’s play, Bangar said the team was taken aback by Pant’s six before praising the youngster for his confidence.

“We were all very surprised, but he is a confident cricketer,” Bangar said. “He has come through the ranks. He has played Ranji trophy, graduated in the India A format, so his has been a gradual rise.

Bangar also said that Pant’s six took his mind back to another flamboyant left-hander – Vinod Kambli.

“He has tremendous faith in his abilities. The moment he hit a six, my mind went back to Vinod Kambli, because even he started his first-class career with a six.

“It requires some gumption to do that. The spunk was pretty evident. So we are pretty happy with that,” he said.

Prior to his Test debut,  Pant impressed for India A while playing two four-day games against West Indies A and England Lions.  In the two first-class matches he played on the tour, Pant scored a total of 189 runs, at an average of 63 including three half-centuries.

Before that, he had a sensational IPL. Pant ended as the second highest run-getter in the tournament with 684 runs from 14 games for Delhi Daredevils. It included five fifties and one century.

England vs India, Sanjay Bangar, Rishabh Pant
I just love his self confidence: Sanjay Bangar (England vs India, Credits: BCCI)

And Bangar is confident Pant will help build the innings and there was no need to give him directions.

“Well, there is no clear sort of direction to him. It is just that he plays his natural game. Ashwin has been consistent in the lower order. We also have lower order batsmen who can stick around. If we can add another 50 runs from here it will be a good first innings total after being put into bat.”

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“I really appreciate and at the same time just love his self confidence, which reflects in his batting style. He bats at such a position where he can take the game away. Same like how (England all-rounder) Sam Curran took the game away from us at Edgbaston. If Rishabh can play like that then he can be ideal for that batting position,” said Bangar.

Meanwhile, India finished the day on 307 for 6. Virat Kohli top-scored for the team with 97 while Ajinkya Rahane scored 81.

 

 

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