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Rediff.com  » Cricket » PIX: How Pant's blistering century rescued India on Day 1

PIX: How Pant's blistering century rescued India on Day 1

July 02, 2022 00:25 IST
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IMAGE: Rishabh Pant hits England spinner Jack Leach for a six during day one of the fifth Test match at Edgbaston in Birmingham, on Friday. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Rishabh Pant smashed a blistering 146 and forged a 222-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja to drag India back into the contest in the rescheduled fifth Test against England in Edgbaston on Friday.

 

The tourists were reeling at 98/5 in the second session before Pant combined with Jadeja and launched a spectacular counter-attack racing to an 89-ball century, his fifth in Tests, in the process.

IMAGE: Rishabh Pant celebrates after completing his century. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

India finished the eventful day on 338/7 scoring at a more than five-runs-an over in the final two sessions.

Jadeja was unbeaten on 83, with Mohammed Shami yet to open his account.

Earlier, James Anderson (3/52) gave England a strong start on his return from an ankle injury that had kept him out of the third Test against New Zealand.

IMAGE: Ravindra Jadeja hit an unbeaten half-century to lead India's superb fightback on the opening day. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

The veteran seamer drew first blood when he had opener Shubman Gill (17) caught at second slip by Zak Crawley and the same bowler-fielder combination sent back Cheteshwar Pujara for 13.

Matthew Potts removed Hanuma Vihari (20) after the lunch break and, in his next over, struck a bigger blow when Virat Kohli, in two minds whether to leave or play, dragged the ball onto his stumps to depart for 11.

IMAGE: Rishabh Pant hits a one-handed six off spinner Jack Leach. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Anderson dismissed Shreyas Iyer with a short ball with Sam Billings flying to his left to take a stunning catch.

A batting collapse looked imminent but Pant had other ideas.

The left-hander lost no time to assert himself and his nonchalance was evident in the way he treated Anderson - stepping out and even reverse-sweeping Test cricket's most prolific fast bowler.

IMAGE: Rishabh Pant raced to an 89-ball century -- the fastest by an Indian wicketkeeper in Test cricket break Mahendra Singh Dhoni's record of 93-ball hundred against Pakistan in 2006. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Pant's best was reserved for Jack Leach though. The stumper-batsman he hit the left-arm seamer for three sixes, including two in the same over.

Pant took two runs off Stuart Broad to bring up his fifth Test hundred and took off his helmet to soak in the applause.

His comrade-in-arms Jadeja completed his fifty in the same over, following it with his trademark bat-twirling celebration.

IMAGE: Pant and Jadeja forged a 222-run stand for the sixth wicket to bring India back into the contest after a few early wickets. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Part-time spinner Joe Root finally ended Pant's 111-ball blitz, which was studded with 19 boundaries and four sixes, when the batsman went for a wild slog and Crawly collected the edge at slip.

India captain Rohit Sharma missed the match after testing positive for COVID-19 and seamer Jasprit Bumrah has been put in charge.

IMAGE: Rishabh Pant's 111-ball 146 was laced with 20 fours and four sixes. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

It also forced the tourists to tweak their opening pair with number three batsman Pujara moving up to partner Gill at the top of the order.

India are 2-1 up in the series which could not be completed last year following COVID-19 cases in the India camp ahead of the final match at Old Trafford.

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