Rishabh Pant has been the talk of day 1 of the third test. Pant has been known for his flamboyant batting but has also been criticized for his keeping skills. This was the reason he wasn’t the first choice keeper in the tour and Saha was selected for the first test. Although, the poor batting skill of Saha cost him his spot on the team.
Pant has always been on the receiving end as far as his keeping is concerned. Since his debut, Pant has dropped more catches than any other keeper in the game. India’s experienced wicketkeeper-batsman, Parthiv Patel has pointed out his mistakes while keeping. Patel pointed out various faults in the technique as he also added that Pant been working on them. Australian Legend and Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting also said that Pant needs to work on his keeping skills. He has been great with the bat, but having a decent keeping technique is equally important. Pant dropped two catches on the first day, Will Pucovski was the lucky player both times. 0nce on Ashwin’s bowling when Pucovski was on 26 and once on Siraj’s bowling when Pucovski was on 32. Pucovski went on to score 50 on his debut as Ponting added that Pant might have felt relieved as Pucovski didn’t get a ton or more.
The day went in Australia’s favour as dropped chances and some excellent batting got them in a commanding position.