Rishabh Pant's outrageous reverse sweep off James Anderson stuns England cricketers - WATCH VIDEO
In the first ball of the 83rd over, Pant played a reverse sweep over the slips that raced away to the boundary. Yes, a reverse sweep. Off James Anderson. With the second new ball. All of these happened for real in the final session of Day 2 in the India vs England fourth Test match at Ahmedabad.
Rishabh Pant charged down the wicket to hit James Anderson over mid-off for a boundary off the first ball with the second new ball. The next ball was swatted past covers in a manner that only Pant can do but what he did in Anderson’s second over with the second new ball was outrageous even by Pant’s standard.
In the first ball of the 83rd over, Pant played a reverse sweep over the slips that raced away to the boundary. Yes, a reverse sweep. Off James Anderson. With the second new ball. All of this happened for real in the final session of Day 2 in the India vs England fourth Test match at Ahmedabad.
It was a fuller length delivery from Anderson just around fifth stump and Pant for some strange set of imagination that only suits him, decided to play the reverse sweep instead of the cover drive. Obviously cover drives are too mainstream for him.
WATCH: Rishabh Pant's reverse sweep off James Anderson in the 4th Test
What was interesting was his bat face while playing the shot. Unlike a normal reverse sweep against a spinner in which a batsman tries to pepper gully and point region, Pant had predetermined to scoop it over the slips.
The execution was perfect. No wonder Joe Root had a wry smile on his face while Ben Stokes and Anderson had an awestruck look.
In the next over, Pant got to his hundred with a six over square leg off Joe Root’s bowling. This was his third Test hundred and a welcome break from the string of 90s he had scored in his short Test career so far.
More importantly for India, it was an innings that not only helped them reach England’s first innings total of 205 but also go passed it comfortably to be on driver’s seat of this final Test match which India cannot afford to lose.
Pant’s innings (101 off 118) finally came to an end when he wanted to pull Anderson for another boundary but didn’t get the desired elevation and ended providing a catch to Joe Root at mid-wicket.