India’s hopes in the second Test against South Africa took a blow on Monday, and much of the frustration from fans and former players centred on one man: captain Rishabh Pant.
His rash dismissal on a good batting surface in Guwahati revived memories of Sunil Gavaskar’s famous “stupid, stupid, stupid” rant, with social media users and cricketing legends criticising the timing of his downfall.
India were 95 for 1 and in control with Yashasvi Jaiswal anchoring the innings with a 58 off 97 balls.
But the collapse was dramatic. Six wickets fell for just 27 runs as Marco Jansen’s barrage of short deliveries ripped through the middle order.
Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel were all dismissed within three overs, and the pressure intensified on the Indian captain.
Pant’s wicket stood out as the most disappointing. Known for charging fast bowlers, he advanced down the track to Jansen once again, only for the left-arm pacer to shorten the length.
Pant attempted an ugly cross-batted hook, edged thinly, and was caught behind by Kyle Verreynne. He wasted a review before walking back in disbelief, with his team sliding into trouble at 201.
Anil Kumble did not hold back on Star Sports. “Today's batters will say this is my natural game. Then there is a situation and you need to understand it. As long as Rishabh Pant is there out in the middle, South Africa bowlers won't be comfortable. They know he can take the game away from you in a flash. You can't do that after facing just 10 balls.”
Kumble added that the pitch did not warrant such urgency. “It's not like this was a Kolkata pitch where every ball bowled on a good length had his name written on it. It's a good surface, just hang in there. You will get the loose ball. Marco Jansen is not going to bowl 20 overs on the trot. You have got to hang in there. This is Test match cricket. Just bat session after session. This is a pitch where you have to bat long.”
Dale Steyn said, “You can't win a Test in one over.” Earlier, he posted on X calling Pant’s shot a “brainfade”.
Fans amplified the backlash online, taking aim at both Pant and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
One user wrote, “Still thinking about the shot played by Rishabh Pant. What was the need for playing such an unnecessary shot, he is the captain of the Indian team and needs to play carefully but this is the only way he knows to play. Horrible, irresponsible.”
Another commented, “I just seen Rishabh Pant's wicket highlight. What the hell was he doing? Is he real serious? I was so wrong when I said Rishabh Pant should be captain of Indian test team. Such unserious players should not be anywhere near leadership group. Sack him from vice captaincy too.”
A third user noted, “Rishabh Pant’s style of play might win you 2/10 games but it fails most of the times. Need some brains with aggression.”
Another remarked, “Rishabh thinks he is Travis Head,” referencing the Australian batsman’s attacking template, specially after his recent match-winning 123 in tough conditions in the Ashes opener at Perth.
