Rishabh Pant sets field for Bangladesh in poetic 'MS Dhoni' reminder, gives instruction to Shanto: 'Ek fielder kam hai'
Rishabh Pant didn't shy away from helping Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto set the field during Day 3 of the Chennai Test.
Team India solidified its position in the opening Test in Chennai, putting Bangladesh on the backfoot with a solid display on Day 2. After India posted a strong score of 376 in the first innings, Jasprit Bumrah led a dominant outing from the Indian bowlers, as the hosts bowled out Bangladesh on just 149. With an already commanding lead, India decided not to enforce the follow-on and continue to cruise towards setting up a mammoth target for the visitors.
On Day 3, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant put on a masterclass of stroke play, standing firm at the crease and further demoralising Bangladesh as the session wore on. As the visitors' energy seemed to wane, an amusing moment unfolded when Pant hilariously told Bangladesh to keep a fielder on the leg-side.
IND vs BAN Live Updates 1st Test Day 3
While preparing to take on the bowler, Pant turned to Bangladesh's captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, asking him to put a fielder in the inner circle on the leg-side, which was left completely vacant.
“Arey idhar aayega ek. Idhar kam fielder hai (Hey, put a fielder here. There aren't many fielders here),” Pant seemed to tell Shanto, while pointing towards the leg side. The Bangladesh captain, in turn, actually adhered to Pant's suggestion and put a fielder on in the midwicket region.
Watch:
Incidentally, MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant's predecessor in the white-ball formats, also did something similar during the ODI World Cup in 2019. Dhoni had stopped Sabbir Rahman on his tracks and told him to move the square-leg fielder towards his left. Then, too, Sabbir did not twice and didn't even ask his captain, Mashrafe Mortaza, before moving the fielder.
{{/usCountry}}Incidentally, MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant's predecessor in the white-ball formats, also did something similar during the ODI World Cup in 2019. Dhoni had stopped Sabbir Rahman on his tracks and told him to move the square-leg fielder towards his left. Then, too, Sabbir did not twice and didn't even ask his captain, Mashrafe Mortaza, before moving the fielder.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in the game, Bangladesh had made an excellent start to the match after opting to bat under overcast conditions in Chennai; they picked three Indian wickets within just 36 runs, and further left the hosts reeling at 144/6. However, they couldn't capitalise on the momentum as local boy Ravichandran Ashwin (113), alongside Ravindra Jadeja (86), put on an excellent partnership to put India back on track.
On the second day, the Bangladesh batters looked helpless against India's high-quality pace attack, with Jasprit Bumrah being the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets. Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep also picked two each, while Jadeja also took two.
While India did have another shaky start with captain Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal falling cheaply, and then Virat Kohli also wasting a strong start, Gill and Pant kept the side's momentum intact.
