Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant played mind games with England by talking in Hindi: Sachin Tendulkar's master observation
Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant's centuries have put India in the driver's seat against England in the first Test of the five-match series at Headingley, Leeds. The duo put on 209 runs for the fourth wicket as Gill and Pant piled the misery on the England attack of Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir, Josh Tongue and Chris Woakes. Both Gill and Jaiswal mixed caution with aggression as they took a calculated approach to take the hosts down. Sachin Tendulkar lauded Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill for their centuries(AP)
Former India batter Sachin Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in international cricket, had a few interesting observations to make about the duo's approach in the first Test. He also lauded how both the batters kept playing 'mind games' by conversing in Hindi in the middle.
The Master Blaster also said there is a method to Pant's madness as he spoke about the left-handed batter's knack of playing a falling paddle sweep of both the seamers and spinners.
Also Read: IND vs ENG, LIVE Score: Ravindra Jadeja tries to push India to 500
'Rishabh's falling paddle sweep is not accidental. It is intentional and extremely clever. Going down with the shot allows him to get under the ball and scoop it over leg slip with control,' Tendulkar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
'Also noticed something interesting during Bashir's spell. Shubman and Rishabh were speaking loudly in Hindi between deliveries. It wasn't just casual talk. They were playing mind games with the bowler, trying to disrupt his rhythm. These minor details may not appear on the scoreboard, but they can have a significant impact on the game,' he added.
In the first Test between India and England, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gill and Pant slammed centuries as the visitors went past the 450-run mark. England stage a comeback
The stage was set for India to go past the 550-600-run mark, but England staged a comeback in the first session on Day 2 as the England attack claimed four wickets - Gill (147), Karun Nair (0), Pant (134) and Shardul Thakur (1).
Stokes claimed the wickets of Karun and Shardul while Gill and Pant were dismissed by Shoaib Bashir and Josh Tongue, respectively. India were eventually bowled out for 471 as Stokes and Tongue took four wickets each.
Throughout the first innings, the likes of Jaiswal, Gill and Pant were seen conversing with each other in Hindi.
Even on Day 1, Pant was seen telling Gill how England have worked on the ball to bring reverse swing in the mix. Jaiswal also spoke to Gill, asking him to stay a strict 'No' if he feels the left-hander is going after a non-existent run.
Earlier, England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first in Headingley.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
IND vs ENG 1st Test: Jasprit Bumrah continues Root dominance and breaks SENA charts, Pant eclipses Dhoni – key stats from Day 2
After a precipitous collapse marred the momentum built from Friday, India and Shubman Gill were in for a hard grind against England's Bazballers at the Headingley ground in Leeds on Day 2. Despite of the growing overcast conditions on Saturday, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope capitalised on some wavering seam bowling behind Jasprit Bumrah to put on a strong riposte to India's first-innings 471. However, a heap of records were shattered and splashed in a day headlined by Pant, Bumrah and Pope. 7 – Rishabh Pant surpassed MS Dhoni with his seventh Test century, the highest among all Indian wicket-keepers 5 – Five of Pant's seven centuries have come in SENA countries – 3 in England, one each in Australia and South Africa – the most among all Asian wicket-keepers. KL Rahul is the only other Asian keeper to record a SENA century (Centurion, 2023) since Pant's debut in 2018. ALSO READ: Why somersaulting Rishabh Pant is a box-office superstar in traditional Leeds 79 – Pant also surpassed Dhoni's Test sixes tally, becoming India's third-highest six-hitter in the format behind Virender Sehwag (90) and Rohit Sharma (88). Only Adam Gilchrist has smashed more sixes (100) among wicket-keepers. 27 – Featuring in his 27th SENA Test, Pant's century tally (5) is only bettered by Sachin Tendulkar (9) and Virat Kohli (7) among Indian batters at the age of 27. Only Tendulkar (2160) has scored more SENA runs than Pant (1815), aged 27. 471 – India's first-innings total is the lowest Test score to comprise three centuries. Incidentally, the innings also recorded the first instance with three centuries (Jaiswal 101, Gill 147, Pant 134) and two ducks (Sudharsan, Nair) in the top 6 of a Test innings. 148* – With his second wicket in the England innings, Jasprit Bumrah surpassed Wasim Akram (146) for most SENA wickets among Asian pacers. Bumrah's strike rate (45.6) betters Akram's (55.7) with both featuring in 32 matches. 39.5 – Bumrah's strike rate in the ICC World Test Championship for 159 scalps is only bettered by Kagiso Rabada (39.1) for 160 wickets. 54 – Bumrah is the only bowler to record 50-plus bowled dismissals in Tests since the year of his debut in 2018. 10 – Bumrah dismissed Joe Root for the 10th time in 25 meetings, with the Englishman only averaging 29. It is the most Bumrah has dismissed any batter in Test cricket. Only Pat Cummins (11) has dismissed Root more times in Test cricket, with the Australian and Bumrah both accounting for Root 14 times across formats, the joint-highest.
Hindustan Times
40 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
'Kya player hai': Rishabh Pant infuriates, gives the dressing room plenty of grey hair but just let him be. Please
As the ball disappeared over cow corner and nestled deep in the stands, Rishabh Pant turned towards the dressing-room, arms aloft, savouring the moment. Then, carefully, deliberately, he took off his helmet and gloves, respectfully laying them on the turf alongside his bat. Taking a deep breath and composing himself, not unlike a gymnast preparing for the final flourish to end an impeccable floor exercise routine, he pulled off the perfect somersault before sinking into his delighted captain Shubman Gill's arms. India's Rishabh Pant celebrates his century during the second day of the 1st test match against England, at Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds (@BCCI X) In the comm box, the great Sunil Gavaskar couldn't contain himself. Less than six months after his famous 'Stupid, stupid, stupid' takedown of Pant's ambitious scoop at the MCG off Scott Boland that flew off the leading edge to Nathan Lyon, one ball after a similar stroke had struck him in the midriff, the former India captain cooed: 'Superb, superb, superb.' That's the impact Rishabh Pant can have – he can exasperate minutes after exhilarating, he can trigger agony with the same regularity as he can ecstasy. On Saturday at Headingley, day two of the first Test against England, Pant brought up his seventh Test century, the most by an Indian wicketkeeper as he left Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind. It was his third hundred in as many tours of England – even dozens of specialist batters don't boast that record – but it was also the slowest of his Test tons, in 146 deliveries. You wouldn't have guessed, much less suspected, that would be the case when he charged a flummoxed Ben Stokes two balls after the England captain had dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal on Friday evening and smashed him back over his head with utter disdain. Stokes is a maverick himself, but so captivated was he by the little fella hammering the living daylights out of him that he just couldn't stop grinning. 'He will give the dressing room plenty of grey hairs,' Ravi Shastri said, a certain awe in his voice unmistakable. 'Kya player hai.' Pant finds balance between madness and mastery at Headingley When he was the head coach, Shastri didn't discourage Pant from expressing himself. He asked him to be selective, yes, but he also offered him the kind of suggestions he knew would resonate with the chunky left-hander. In the second Ahmedabad Test of 2021, when England tried to frustrate him with a packed on-side field, Shastri exhorted Pant to play the reverse so that he could make the most of the huge gaps on the off-side. 'Ab yeh huyi na baat', Pant trilled, as he breezed to 101 off a mere 118 deliveries on a treacherous surface where Axar Patel took nine wickets to formalise India's entry into the final of the inaugural World Test Championship. This latest gem from Pant was another indicator of how rapidly the 27-year-old is maturing without going against his natural grain. When he felt that was the need of the hour, he offered a dead defensive blade – his tightness and orthodoxy in defence is often lost in the magic of his unconventional, impish stroke-making – but when he committed himself to cutting loose, he did so without any indication of hesitancy. Sixty-four percent of his 100 (10x4, 4x6) came off boundaries even though he got to three-figures slower than both Yashasvi Jaiswal (144 balls) and Gill (140). He then took just 32 balls for his next 34 runs before, ironically, being dismissed not offering a stroke for the first time in 71 Test innings. Pretty much sums up the Pant persona, doesn't it? For the left-hander coming off an ordinary season with Lucknow Super Giants that he only marginally salvaged with a hundred in the final game of a disappointing campaign, this fourth ton against England will be especially satisfying because it came in his first outing as the Test vice-captain. Apart from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, no one else in the top seven has played more five-day matches for the country. Pant has occupied the No. 5 position for a fair while now, the surest indication that successive team managements have stopped viewing him as a unidimensional ball-basher and have encouraged him to think and play like the wonderful batter that he is without being shackled by the need to rein in his instincts entirely. It wasn't mere coincidence that his dismissal on Saturday came after a presumed message to play out time with lunch five minutes away. Why would you tell him that? After all, didn't he charge Chris Woakes, operating with the new ball, in Friday's last over and deposit him over square-leg for six? Let him be, guys. Let him do Rishabh Pant things. He will infuriate from time to time, but the trade-off is worth it when he can give you 43.30 per Test innings on average. At 73.69 runs per 100 balls faced. Just let him be.
India Today
42 minutes ago
- India Today
Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler in the world right now: England pacer Mark Wood
England pacer Mark Wood has hailed Jasprit Bumrah as the best bowler in the world at present, acknowledging the Indian spearhead's game-changing ability across formats. Speaking during the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley, Wood warned that England's batters will face a stern challenge dealing with Bumrah's relentless precision and deceptive pace."He's a phenomenal bowler in all formats and extremely dangerous. I can honestly say he's very difficult to pick and face. He's quicker than he looks. Right now, he's the best bowler in the world-and he's capable of changing the course of a match at any moment," Wood told Sky vs IND 1st Test Day 2 Highlights Currently sidelined after undergoing knee surgery in March, the 35-year-old fast bowler is expected to miss the entire five-Test series but revealed on BBC's Test Match Special that he has resumed bowling in the nets and is targeting a potential return in the final leads the charge againOnce again, Bumrah led India's bowling effort with characteristic intensity. On day 2 at Headingley, he returned figures of 3 for 48 in 13 overs-India's only wicket-taker of the day-as the rest of the attack comprising Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur went wicketless across 36 overs. England ended the day on 209 for 3, still trailing by 262 30-year-old pacer was let down by some sloppy fielding. Ben Duckett was dropped on 15 and later survived a DRS review-both reprieves coming off Bumrah's bowling. Opening day centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal also put down Ollie Pope on 60, while Harry Brook was bowled off a no-ball in a frustrating final over for Bumrah eventually got his reward. After Zak Crawley was caught in the slips, a fine spell of pressure finally saw Duckett trapped leg-before for 62 just before tea. Pope, who went on to scored a fine century, stitched a solid partnership with Joe Root, who survived a close lbw shout on seven courtesy of a successful performance comes amidst careful workload management. During India's tour of Australia last year, he played through discomfort before breaking down in the final Test-a setback that ultimately saw him withdraw from the captaincy conversation. Ahead of this series, he has already admitted he might feature in only three of the five Tests, citing the importance of managing his body over the long with limited availability, Bumrah continues to stand out as India's most threatening weapon with the ball. His blend of pace, control, and unorthodox action poses a consistent challenge to the best batters in the world. You May Also Like
