If anyone could “own” The Fall on a cricket ground, it was Rishabh Pant. With a shot that had devastating ramifications and pure, unalloyed glee when watching in real-time, and countless times in hindsight, the Indian batting star, delighted those watching at the Optus Stadium. It was a charismatic sweep six, while India were falling apart at 108/6. And while Pant literally fell, toppled with the momentum, but not without having dented Pat Cummins’ aura.
Australia were 42/5 in response and suddenly the Pant Six wasn’t a mere happy highlight amidst a tragedy for India.
As it turned out, the counter-attack was pivotal in dragging India to 150. Cummins had the last laugh with Pant’s dismissal, but all other laughs, giggles, guffaws and all manners of gushes and chuckling that resonated through the Perth ground, were punch pleased with Pant.
The commentary boxes couldn’t stop beaming – even the radio tale-narrators.
On Sen Cricket, Gerard Whateley had Ravi Shastri for company, and almost fell off the seat himself, leaving sideways, describing while mimicking the shot. “Oh he got down on his knee, and flicked it Maaaaaggggnificently down to fine leg for six,” he started, as Shastri urged him to “describe it.”
“He’s lying on thevpitch by the time he’s hoicked it over his shoulder,” Whateley continued, as Shastri dubbed it “as cheeky as it gets”. Gerard was unstoppable, “I love him, Rishabh Pant…That is remarkable.”
What Shastri described as “shot of the day” was off the last ball of the Pat Cummins over, as the captain kept it full on off from ’round the wicket. Pant turned it into a half volley of course, with his position that’s best described as unorthodox, flicking itbover deep backward square leg. Then he tumbled, a glorious fall, that the Aussies wouldn’t forget soon. Such was the aftermath.
For the record, in the leadup to the Test, Cummins had told the media, “Pant moves game quickly, can be dangerous – need special plans for him.”
As only Rishabh Pant can do! 6️⃣#AUSvIND | #PlayOfTheDay | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/vupPuWA8GG
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 22, 2024
It almost made Indians sigh in regret that Pant hadn’t been around a year ago at Ahmedabad in the ODI World Cup final.
India were in dire straits with 6 wickets down and a piddly 100, and the freakish fearless took everyone’s breath away. David Warner, speaking in the comms on official broadcast said, “Trademark Rishabh Pant.
I have seen him play that time and time again in IPL.” While co-commentator Kerry O’Keefe remarked, “Have a look at him. So composed. Played it real late. That’s a half volley. He could have pushed that to mid-off.”
Harsha Bhogle led the chorus of wows. “Ladies and gentlemen stop what you are doing right now. Get your jaw together again because this is Rishabh Pant and this is why he is box office and just one of the “wow” players in the game.”
As if woken from a reverie, O’Keefe seemed to suddenly realise it was Cummins copping this. “And this is Pat Cummins! What’s he done here? Oh heaven’s above.”
Bhogle would highlight the sheer audacity, “I’ve seen him play this before, but this on a large boundary with a man on the boundary already.”
Warner was quoted by Fox Cricket as describing the shot as bold but not risky.
“He is going with the angle, short boundary,” Warner explained. “You just have to accept it. That’s the way he plays and he has probably just thought, the angle in, I have seen enough. I am just going to go along with it and ride it.”
Bhogle chimed in, “I tell you what he has done well, he has avoided his stumps,” while O’Keeffe added, “And he didn’t see the end result of his shot because he was facing the ground.”
One half of the series title legends, former Australian captain Allan Border couldn’t find the right words. “I don’t know how to describe that,” Border was quoted as saying by Fox, while the always chatty Mpumelelo Mbangwa was stuck at tweeting “Oh wow!!!”
Ben Jones, head Insights of Cricviz, had perhaps the finest poetic projections of where this insane genius trend could be headed. He tweeted, “One day Rishabh Pant is going to hit a six with no feet on the ground and no hands on the bat.”
Pant also dropped his bat at the non strikers clumsily and fist bumped with the laughing bowler, Mitch Marsh, bringing merriment to the game.
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