Rishabh Pant was a proponent of ‘Bazball’ long before Brendon McCullum invented the concept and this very modern Test batsman gave England a taste of their own medicine with an exciting display of batting on the first day of the newly arranged Final Test.
It was high-octane Test cricket at its finest again as Pant rescued India from a dangerous position and ensured they picked up where they left off against England last season before facing the final Test of a series they still lead , abruptly went home 2-1.
And alongside Pant in a quick record tally of 222 for the sixth wicket, scoring just 38.3 overs, turning that Test on its head, another left-hander in Ravindra Jadeja had been a thorn in the side of England’s side so often over the years was.
India fought back to go 338-7 on stumps on the first day of the rearranged Test at Edgbaston
Pant reached his third century against England on just 89 balls, the fastest in Edgbaston history, before dying trying to smash Joe Root in Birmingham while Jadeja was still there at 83, proving a roller-coaster day for Ben Stokes and his team finally came to an end.
Obviously, England aren’t the only ones trying to redesign Test cricket. Just as Jonny Bairstow scored two exceptional hundreds in the last two Tests, Pant now gave an incredible display of controlled skill and aggression straight out of the Twenty20 playbook.
It wasn’t until Root caught him slipping trying to smash a second straight six that Pant’s show ended and England were able to regain an element of control.
India ended a breathless day at 338 for seven overs from just 73, with a lively Edgbaston full house that provided exceptional entertainment despite a nearly two-hour break from rain.
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant scored a majestic Century to help India bounce back from 98-5
As India Pant needed. England, on the crest of a huge wave after beating New Zealand 3-0, got off to the perfect start after Stokes once again defied conventional thinking by bowling first.
It was not so much that Stokes believed there would be enough at Edgbaston and the conditions to encourage his seamen.
Instead, it’s more that England, like their one-day counterparts, are now chasing a win, as they have done at Lord’s, Trent Bridge and Headingley earlier this season. No goal, they imagine, is too great or daunting for them to attain.
It looked like a masterstroke as Jimmy Anderson, back with the new ball after missing out on victory at Headingley last week, made two early cuts before English summer explorer Matthew Potts made two more after the break, including the crucial scalp of Virat Kohli.
Pant smashed six fours and a six in front of England spinner Jack Leach to turn the momentum
What an introduction to test cricket pots. He conceded 14 wickets against New Zealand, including three times the crucial scalp from Kane Williamson, and now added another big name as Kohli penetrated his own stumps and tried to leave the ball on the 11th. The former Indian captain’s long wait for an international century, dating back to the end of 2019, continues.
When Anderson, getting movement and bounce from a flat Edgbaston surface, won Shreyas Iyer with the help of a spectacular leg side catch from Sam Billings, India was 98-five and the New England golden run looked set to continue.
Pant had other ideas. Edgbaston was under cloud cover and the floodlights were on while India was under siege but how did this box office talent react? By dancing the wicket down to Anderson from the start and running into England danger.
India’s fun could have easily been nipped in the bud as Jadeja Stuart edged out Broad by a small margin to slip to five where Root wasn’t sure he’d cleaned the catch.
Fast bowlers Matt Potts (right) and James Anderson took all five wickets together
England’s uncertainty helped send a soft signal not to leave Aleem Dar, but inconclusive TV evidence suggested it might just have gone through. Third referee Marais Erasmus had no choice but to stay on the pitch when making the decision.
How India took advantage of apparent good fortune. Jack Leach knows all about Pant’s flashing blade, having stalked him in spectacular fashion in Chennai 18 months ago, and now the left-arm spinner’s newfound confidence has been put to the test.
Pant went to his half-century with the first of his three sixes in front of Leach, attacking conventionally until he seemed to pinch his left hamstring at 65. Only then did he switch to the sometimes unorthodox, attempting to reverse Anderson along the way.
India’s goalkeeper reached his century 26 balls faster than Kevin Pietersen’s previous fastest on this ground, who scored against Sri Lanka in 2006, and England began to tear themselves up, particularly when 22 runs, including four throws, came out after Leach’s ninth over.
Anderson (pictured second right) had struck twice on day one to leave India 53-2 at lunch
Anderson (right), recalled after recovering from injury, took the wicket from opener Shubman Gill
Nobody was more ragged than the English captain. Stokes had insisted prior to that Test he was deliberately not bowling in the first innings at Headingley last week and only sent four overs in the second because he wanted to push his attack.
He now bowled 10 overs but was plagued by the no-ball problem that was a feature of his bowling, exceeding 10 times yesterday alone and eventually taking Shardul Thakur’s wicket from the eighth ball of a particularly undisciplined over.
England’s bowling figures ended up being almost as battered as New Zealand’s had been throughout their run, Leach left by nearly eight and Potts by five, although he was impressive again before Pant caught him.
Thanks to Pant, a test that should have been played in Manchester last September is well prepared. And Test Cricket got another welcome shot of adrenaline.
Zak Crawley (left) then took a chance on the second slip and failed on Hanuma Vihari’s edge
But Crawley had redemption in the next over when he pocketed the edge from Cheteshwar Pujara