[Watch] Goosebumps moment as Gautam Gambhir praises Rishabh Pant’s warrior-like knock
Through his interviews and press conferences, team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has always tried to push forward his philosophy of putting the team ahead of individual performances. His ideology has often drawn criticism, with some pushing out the narrative on social media that he hates certain individuals. Recently, an alleged feud between Gautam Gambhir and Rishabh Pant made headlines on social media.
When asked about Rishabh Pant’s twin centuries in the press conference following the first Test, Gambhir expressed anger towards the reporter for asking only about Pant’s performance and not the other team members who batted well. This led to reports of Gambhir’s bias towards certain individuals. The two, however, were often seen sharing a laugh in the dressing room, which eased the speculation somewhat. Now, after India pulled off a draw in the fourth Test in Manchester, Gautam Gambhir delivered a special praise for Rishabh Pant in the dressing room.
In a video uploaded by the Indian Cricket Team on their Instagram handle, Gautam Gambhir heaped massive praise on India’s wicket-keeper batter. Rishabh Pant fractured his right foot while batting in the first innings of the fourth Test match. However, despite that, he resumed his innings and went on to score a half-century, pushing India to a competitive total.
Rishabh Pant’s warrior spirit left Gambhir mighty impressed and couldn’t hold back in praising his individual brilliance.
“The foundation of this Test team will be based on what Rishabh has done for this team. I hate talking about individuals. I have never spoken about individuals in a team sport. You have not only inspired this dressing room, but the next generation. This is what you have done and the legacy you have created for yourself and for everyone in this dressing room. So very well done, and the country will always be proud of you,” Gambhir said in the video.
Rishabh Pant ruled out of fifth Test vs England
Due to the fracture in his right foot, Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the fifth Test match against England in Oval. The BCCI Medical team is monitoring him closely and Pant is expected to make a comeback pretty soon. Meanwhile, the BCCI has announced M Jagadeesan as Rishabh Pant’s replacement for the final Test match. Here’s a look at India’s revised squad for the fifth Test:
Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, and N Jagadeesan (wk).
England currently lead the five-match Test series 2-1 with one final Test left to be played, scheduled to take place at Kennington Oval in London.
