The similar nerves started kicking in as soon as Rishabh Pant entered the nineties. He powered his nerves into a gigantic 107-meter six off a Southee delivery to push all the apprehensions away from him. Soon, he was on 99, just a run away from his hundred. A William O’Rourke short of a length ball with extra bounce, got him to hop and try to punch it towards the square. But it was not to be. The wicket-keeper batter failed to account for the extra bounce in time, inside-edged the cherry, and watched as it disturbed his timbers. M Chinnaswamy Stadium went silent. The applauses from a while ago were deflated. KL Rahul, standing at the non-striker’s end, was on his knees.
As much as it was heartbreaking, it was not the first time Pant had been dismissed in the 90s. In fact, since his debut in Test cricket, no one has been dismissed in the nineties more times than him. He has seven such nineties under his belt. Considering the overall stats even, his dismissals on seven such instances are the joint-third highest. Interestingly, his nineties are more than his centuries in the red-ball format. Add another record to this list, he has become just the fourth wicket-keeper batter to be dismissed on 99.
For other players, the nineties might make them nervous. For Pant, it’s quite like full-blown PTSD. Coming back after almost two years of sitting out and recovering from the injuries a deadly car accident left him with, the last thing he would have fancied was a greeting from his old demons. But there they were. Waiting with bated breath, to scare the wicket-keeper batter.
But what’s that thing about ships being safe in the harbor? You can not possibly succumb to the nineties’ pressure if you don’t make it to that point. Taking a hit to his knee just the previous day, knowing the sort of context the game is in, and still finding the strength to face the demons is a thing only a batter of Rishabh Pant’s temperament could do. His 211-ball 171-run partnership with Sarfaraz Khan was what actually changed the course of the game and rescued India from what would have been an innings defeat.
It’s true his centuries column will remain unchanged but that’s just cricket’s way of showing that numbers don’t always tell the truth, especially in this sport. And that’s also who Pant is. Unperturbed and unintimidated by what is to come. His 107-meter six off Tim Southee, who only just got rid of Sarfaraz Khan, is a testament to it.
It’s also very characteristic of Pant to bat as if he awaits a greater good. You would see him leaving the decent deliveries almost religiously and covering up for them with any lesser-than-decent ball coming his way. This is exactly why despite leaving 56% of the balls he faced tin the third inning, Rishabh Pant ended his knock with a strike rate of almost 95. He scored 66 runs off boundaries alone. That’s what sums Rishabh Pant up. In a just world, his quick-fire batting instead of a dismissal in 90s should be making headlines. But only in a just world.