Watch: Rishabh Pant hilariously helps Bangladesh captain to set field
Rishabh Pant was in a jovial mood on Day 3 of the first Test between India and Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, September 21. The flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter is known for speaking his mind on the field and being a chatterbox at times. However, during the first session on Day 3, he offered a helping hand to Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto.
Shubman Gill and Pant were firing on all cylinders, especially in the latter stages of the first session on Day 3. Shanto was putting in a lot of effort to get his fielders at the right spots to keep the scoring rate in check. Seeing the 26-year-old’s struggles, Pant decided to step in as he suggested that a fielder should be placed at mid-wicket.
“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 latter adhered to Pant’s proposition and placed a fielder at midwicket.
Rishabh Pant slams sixth Test century
Starting Day 3 at 81/3, with a lead of 308, Pant and Shubman Gill played with plenty of assurance and hit boundaries at will. They added 124 runs in just 28 overs to take their team to a commanding position at 205/3, having taken a lead of 432 runs.
Gill remained unbeaten on 86 off 137 balls before the Lunch break, while Pant raced to 82 off 108 balls. In the second session, the wicketkeeper-batter needed just 16 balls to get to his sixth century in the longest format of the game. He equalled the legendary MS Dhoni for the most hundreds scored by a designated wicketkeeper for India.