Gaurav Joshi
Birmingham, July 1
A counter-attacking partnership between Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja shepherded India from 98/5 to 338/7 at stumps on the first day of the rescheduled fifth Test match against England.
For most of the rain-hit day, England were on top, but it changed in the second session. For about five minutes in the afternoon, the ‘e’ shaped tower lights at Edgbaston shone brightly, as did the sun. It was a transition phase for Team India and the weather. India were deep in trouble at 110/5 after 33 overs. Pant and Jadeja were the two men at the crease.
The first ball of the 34th was punched down the ground by Jadeja for a boundary. Commentating for Sky Sports, former India coach Ravi Shastri said: “He (Jadeja) is a fine player of swing bowling because he leaves well and plays straight.”
With that stroke, Jadeja kicked-started India’s recovery. Pant crashed the last ball of the over from Stuart Broad for four and the momentum of the game changed.
As the artificial lights were turned off three overs later, India had breezed to 134/5. Ben Stokes decided to turn to left arm-spinner Jack Leach. England wanted to play this aggressive brand of cricket, so Stokes told Leach to bowl with the mid-on inside the circle. This is an invitation for Pant to be brave. There was no hesitation from the Indian vice-captain as he charged down the pitch and smashed 14 off the over.
Pant in charge
Pant was in the groove. He was assured in defence and caressed the ball sweetly to the leg-side boundary as the English bowlers angled the ball towards his stumps. The field started to spread. Three slips remained in place but a deep point kept wandering between gully and extra cover. It was Pant who was dictating the field, not just with his attacking brilliance but also his delicate glides and control of his hands.
In between, there was still the Pant that the world demands — the aggressor, the enforcer and the man who bludgeons the cricket ball. On a couple of occasions, he ran down the pitch and smashed Broad and James Anderson back over their heads.
Pant had hardly batted in the nets in the lead-up to the game. But that hardly affected his timing or shot selection. He has made a habit of scoring them when it matters. At 5.37pm, when the sun finally reappeared through the clouds and the ‘e’ shape lights on the tower continued to shine, Pant had scored a brilliant century from 89 balls. Jadeja, playing second fiddle, had moved past fifty and India were on a high.
By the time Pant was dismissed for 146, with 19 fours and four sixers, India were relatively safe at 320/6. The rollicking partnership between the two left-handers was worth 222 runs for the sixth wicket. Jadeja, unbeaten on 83 at stumps, would look to continue in the same vein tomorrow.
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