Rishabh Pant shuts Ben Duckett with reverse sledge after he taunts India vice-captain at Lord's: ‘Same like you’

Rishabh Pant's courageous 74-run knock came to an abrupt end due to a run out. He also gave a fitting reply to Ben Duckett, who tried to sledge him.

There is rarely a dull moment when India vice-captain Rishabh Pant is out in the middle. The stump microphone is as crucial as anything when Pant is loitering around the pitch, either with the bat or the keeping gloves in hand. The India keeper-batter, who has been busy talking himself while batting during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, was poked by England batter Ben Duckett on Day 3 of the third Test at Lord's, only to receive a fitting reply.

Rishabh Pant and Ben Duckett

When Chris Woakes was bowling with the keeper up, trying to stop Rishabh Pant from advancing down the track - he had just hit him for a boundary straight down the ground by charging -- the left-hander took his time. There was the odd attempted reverse lap, but Pant, by and large, was batting very patiently against Woakes.

Sensing this, Duckett decided to rattle Pant by taunting him about his relatively slow innings. The India vice-captain gave a perfect response to shut him down.

This is how the conversation between Rishabh Pan and Ben Dukett took place

Ben Duckett: "Just batting for the draw?"

Rishabh Pant: "Me?"

Ben Duckett: "Yeah"

Rishabh Pant: "Same like you"

Ben Duckett: "Same like me, bro?"

Rishabh Pant: "Same like you"

Ben Duckett: "Yeah? That's me playing on Day 1"

Rishabh Pant: It's still nibbling"

Ben Duckett: “Not right now”

Rishabh Pant: “It is, it is”

Rishabh Pant battles injury to play a firm knock but gets run out at crucial stage

With India looking to close the gap on England’s imposing first-innings total of 387, Rishabh Pant scripted a tale of courage, aggression, and ultimately, heartbreak. His knock of 74 off 112 balls was a display of characteristic flair laced with grit, especially admirable given the pain he carried in his injured left hand. But as Lunch loomed and India surged forward, a moment of misjudgment brought his resilient innings to a sudden end.

Pant had walked in with India in a precarious spot, but he found a steady partner in KL Rahul, and together they rebuilt the innings with a 141-run stand that shifted the momentum. From the outset, Pant looked in discomfort — a blow to his finger while keeping wickets on Thursday had visibly worsened. Yet he battled on, his fingers often seeking the attention of the physio, his face betraying the pain only when the camera lingered too long.

Despite the injury, Pant never strayed from his natural game. He punished Jofra Archer early in the day with a stylish flick for four and later, when Bashir tossed one up, he launched him straight down the ground for six. That fearless hook off Ben Stokes to bring up his fifty — a towering six that sailed into the stands — was classic Pant. But the innings wasn’t without its risks. A miscued pull off Stokes nearly brought his end just minutes before the break, but Zak Crawley’s athletic boundary save kept him alive.

It would only delay the inevitable.

In the final over before lunch, Pant dabbed a delivery from Bashir toward cover point — a seemingly harmless push. But a split-second decision to steal a single proved fatal. Ben Stokes, stationed near the circle, swooped in and fired a bullet throw at the non-striker’s end. The direct hit caught Pant well short. England erupted; Pant trudged off, his head down, the applause of the crowd echoing behind him. It was a run out that broke not just a promising partnership but also India’s growing ascendancy.

At lunch, India stood at 248 for 4, still trailing by 139, with KL Rahul unbeaten on 98. Pant’s innings may not have ended the way he or his team wanted, but it was a telling reminder of the warrior spirit he brings to the crease — bruised, defiant, and always willing to fight.