Rishabh Pant’s Amazing Century in Chennai
Compared to Virender Sehwag by Basit Ali
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has compared the dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant to India’s iconic opener, Virender Sehwag. Pant, who was involved in a life-threatening accident in December 2022, made a breathtaking return to Test cricket for India.
In the opening Test against Bangladesh in Chennai, Pant scored a splendid century after a promising knock of 39 in the first inning. Basit Ali drew comparisons between Pant and Sehwag, noting that both players use attack as a form of defense in Test cricket.
Basit Ali said, “There are two batters in India. The second is Rishabh Pant. The first one was Virender Sehwag, whose defense was attacking. He used to go after the boundary on the first ball. Rishabh Pant came, whose defense is attack. He plays shots and plays well against Bangladesh. He won hearts.”
On Day 3, Pant relied on aggressive strokeplay to score runs on the benign surface of the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Alongside Shubman Gill, he formed a 167-run partnership, helping India reach a target of 515 runs.
When Pant celebrated his century, Virat Kohli stood up and applauded his remarkable feat. Pant’s 109-run knock included 13 fours and 4 sixes. He used a mix of front-foot and backfoot play to handle the spinners, and his impressive inning was brought to an end by Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Pant received applause from the crowd and blew a kiss towards heaven as he walked back.
Doubts Revealed
Rishabh Pant -: Rishabh Pant is an Indian cricketer who plays as a wicketkeeper and batsman. He is known for his aggressive batting style.
Century -: In cricket, a century means a player has scored 100 or more runs in a single innings. It’s a big achievement.
Chennai -: Chennai is a city in India, located in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is known for its rich culture and history.
Virender Sehwag -: Virender Sehwag is a former Indian cricketer known for his explosive batting. He was one of the best opening batsmen in the world.
Basit Ali -: Basit Ali is a former cricketer from Pakistan. He played for the Pakistan national team and is now a cricket coach and commentator.
Test cricket -: Test cricket is the longest form of the sport, where matches can last up to five days. It tests the skill and endurance of the players.
Accident -: Rishabh Pant had a serious accident, which means he got hurt badly. He had to take a break from playing cricket to recover.
109 runs -: Rishabh Pant scored 109 runs in the match, which means he hit the ball and ran between the wickets to score 109 points for his team.
Aggressive play -: Aggressive play in cricket means playing very actively and trying to score runs quickly, often by hitting the ball hard.
Partnership -: In cricket, a partnership is when two batsmen play together and score runs. Pant and Shubman Gill scored 167 runs together.
Shubman Gill -: Shubman Gill is a young Indian cricketer who is known for his excellent batting skills.
Fours and sixes -: In cricket, a ‘four’ is when the ball hits the ground and reaches the boundary, scoring 4 runs. A ‘six’ is when the ball goes over the boundary without touching the ground, scoring 6 runs.
Virat Kohli -: Virat Kohli is a famous Indian cricketer and former captain of the Indian national team. He is known for his excellent batting.