The free-flowing willow of Rishabh Pant put India on the ascendency on day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali on Friday.
At multiple points, India had looked like taking the upper hand, only for the contest to be reset through timely wickets from the visitors. But Pant’s belligerent 97-ball 96 (9x4, 4x6) transformed the match situation, leaving the host at a healthy 357 for six on a wicket that took turn pretty early.
During the first half of his innings, Pant was busy without being overtly extravagant, bringing up his half-century off 73 balls. But immediately after, he went berserk, smashing left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya and offie Dhananjaya de Silva for 43 runs in just 13 balls, including three sixes and five fours.
It was reminiscent of the way Pant has in the past dominated spinners on pitches that offered help – by stepping out and hitting them for sixes. He had done that to Nathan Lyon in Australia, Englishman Jack Leach in India and Keshav Maharaj in South Africa.
The 24-year-old was daring enough to hit Embuldeniya for back-to-back sixes between long on and deep mid-wicket despite Dimuth Karunaratne having stationed fielders at both positions. de Silva was carted straight down the ground for a six and two fours, the bottom hand coming off the bat nonchalantly.
Oft-criticised for playing one shot too many, and at inopportune times, Pant was finally dismissed because for a shot he did not try to play. To an innocuous looking Suranga Lakmal delivery, in the first over after the new ball was taken, Pant’s bat came down lazily, a few fractions after the cherry had clipped the top of off-stump.
He looked distraught as he trudged back to the pavilion, but it wasn’t before the sparse but energetic crowd had had their heart’s fill and the 94-run sixth wicket stand with Ravindra Jadeja (45 n.o., 82b, 5x4) had deflated Sri Lanka.
Earlier in the morning, Rohit Sharma elected the bat. The two captains seemed to have read the pitch differently; India named three spinners, Jayant Yadav in addition to Jadeja and R. Ashwin, while Sri Lanka went in with three seamers (Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando).
The pacemen didn’t exactly repay the trust, bowling erratic lines, especially Kumara, as Rohit (29, 28b, 6x4) and Mayank Agarwal (33, 49b, 5x4) stroked smoothly at more than five an over. But the skipper fell attempting one pull too many, holing out to fine-leg. Mayank played outside the line to a lovely arm-ball from Embuldeniya and was trapped leg-before.
Hanuma Vihari, promoted to No.3, played a typically watchful knock (58, 128b, 5x4), with his two driven boundaries to the cover fence standing out. Virat Kohli (45, 76b, 5x4) started with a beautiful straight drive and was brisk in his run-making as the duo put on 90 runs for the fourth wicket.
But Embuldeniya foxed Kohli with a delivery that pitched on middle stump, beat the outside edge and crashed into the off stump. The dismissal should have made Embuldeniya’s day but Pant sent both his figures and Lanka’s chances north.
Scoreboard
India 1st innings: Mayank Agarwal lbw b Embuldeniya 33; Rohit Sharma c Lakmal b Lahiru Kumara 29; Hanuma Vihari b Vishwa Fernando 58; Virat Kohli b Embuldeniya 45; Rishabh Pant b Lakmal 96; Shreyas Iyer lbw b Dhananjaya de Silva 27; Ravindra Jadeja batting 45; Ravichandran Ashwin batting 10. Extras: (LB-5, NB-9) 14.
Total: (For six wickets in 85 Overs) 357
Fall of Wickets: 1-52, 2-80, 3-170, 4-175, 5-228, 6-332.
Sri Lanka bowling: Suranga Lakmal 16-1-63-1, Vishwa Fernando 16-1-69-1, Lahiru Kumara 10.5-1-52-1, Lasith Embuldeniya 28-2-107-2, Dhananjaya de Silva 11-1-47-1, Charith Asalanka 3.1-0.14-0.
