Stupid, Stupid, Stupid: Furious Gavaskar slams Rishabh Pant for reckless dismissal

Furious Sunil Gavaskar slammed wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for his reckless dismissal on Day 3 of the 4th Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

While commentating for the host broadcaster, Gavaskar called Pant stupid after the keeper-batter was dismissed for just 28 runs in India’s first innings at the Boxing Day Test match.

With India in dire straits, Pant’s decision to play an unorthodox scoop shot off Scott Boland’s bowling left many fans and experts questioning his temperament and approach in high-pressure situations. Gavaskar hit out at Pant and used some harsh words for the batter after his dismissal.

Pant had looked jittery from the very start of his innings on Day 3. He nearly got caught twice at the slip cordon in the first hour of play and then survived 2 run-out attempts due to on-field mix-ups with Ravindra Jadeja. After settling down his nerves near the hour mark, Pant decided to scoop Scott Boland’s full-length delivery behind the keeper. The batter did not get the ideal connection and was caught at deep third man after top-edging the ball.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid! You have two fielders there, you still go for that shot. You have missed the previous shot and look where you have been caught. You have been caught at deep third man. That is throwing away your wicket. Not in the situation that India was. You have to understand the situation as well. You cannot say that that’s your natural game. I’m sorry that is not your natural game. That is a stupid shot that is letting your team down badly,” Sunil Gavaskar fumed while commentating on the match.

“He should not be going in that dressing room. He should be going to the other dressing room,” he further added.

Co-commentator Harsha Bhogle was visibly left surprised by Gavaskar’s choice of words for Pant but did not attempt to stop the legendary former cricketer.

After Pant’s dismissal, Jadeja got out in the morning session as well. After the duo’s departure, Nitish Reddy and Washington Sundar had held India’s innings together. At the time of writing, Nitish’s gritty fifty had taken India past 300 runs.