Rishabh Pant in the red-ball format is quite a difficult batter to contain. He tends to play unorthodox shots, which makes it quite difficult for bowlers to bowl to him. Scott Boland, who is quite lethal with his bowling, and when asked about who is the toughest batter he has bowled to, said it was Pant.
“Rishabh Pant from India. He’s someone who’s very unpredictable. So, I feel like sometimes he slogs you for six and you bowl the same ball, and he blocks it. So, he is very hard to bowl to,” said Boland in rapid-fire, organised by Grasscricket.
And the admiration has been mutual earlier in the year during Border Gavaskar Trophy, Pant acknowledged Boland and appreciated his efforts. “I think he’s been an amazing bowler. The way he bowls line and lengths, especially in Test cricket, is quite difficult because he’s so used to playing in the condition and you don’t feel like he’s playing his first initial matches. It feels like he’s been there for a long period of time and that’s the kind of experience,” he said at the time.
20 wickets on the Boxing Day
Australia finished marginally on top at the end of a chaotic opening day of the fourth Ashes test after an extraordinary 20 wickets fell in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. Australia nightwatchman Boland was four not out with Travis Head yet to score as the hosts went to stumps at four for no loss in their second innings, carrying a 46-run lead over England.
With England bowled out for 110 in reply to Australia’s first innings 152, it was the highest number of wickets in a single day at the MCG since a record 25 fell in the 1902 Ashes.
Josh Tongue took a career-best 5-45 to skittle Australia on the grassy pitch after England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to field first, but the tourists’ batters were then guilty of an even more egregious collapse.
(With agency inputs)
