It had been the perfect morning for India—until one moment of madness changed everything. Rishabh Pant, batting brilliantly, threw away his wicket just before lunch, shifting the balance of the Lord’s Test.
In a moment of poor judgment, Pant tapped the ball towards Ben Stokes at cover and set off for a non-existent single—only to be run out, leaving India at 248 for 5.
It was a cruel blow after a dominant first session on Day 3. Pant’s dismissal not only halted India’s charge but also tilted the momentum back towards the hosts.
Pant has been in sublime touch throughout the series and now sits second on the list of leading run-scorers in the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy with 416 runs—behind only Shubman Gill’s 601.
However, the manner of his dismissal triggered an outpouring of criticism on social media.
Fans lashed out at both Pant and KL Rahul for what they deemed a severe lack of game awareness. The phrase ‘Stupid, Stupid, Stupid’—infamously coined by Sunil Gavaskar after a rash Pant shot —was soon trending on X.
Speculation also swirled online that Pant may have been trying to get KL Rahul, who was unbeaten on 98, back on strike to help him reach his hundred—a move that, if true, cost India a key wicket at a crucial juncture.
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