After Pant fifty, India six wickets away from a Test win

Key points

• That is all Shubman Gill and his men will need on Wednesday to beat Sri Lanka and get some much-needed…
• Despite the 81 against Afghanistan, Pant has constantly come under the lens for his audacious and sometimes freakish shot selections.
• As he did in the first essay, Sonal Dinusha tried to revive the innings, this time alongside skipper Dhananjaya de…
• The Delhi batter, however, rose to the occasion in a timely manner to put India on top.

CHENNAI: SIX wickets. That is all Shubman Gill and his men will need on Wednesday to beat Sri Lanka and get some much-needed World Test Championship points in Galle.

When India set a target of 372, for a little while on Tuesday, it did seem like the match could end on Tuesday when Manav Suthar struck twice with the new ball as Sri Lanka were reduced to 47/4 in 21.4 overs. As he did in the first essay, Sonal Dinusha tried to revive the innings, this time alongside skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, however. Together they ensured India did not make any further inroads before stumps were drawn at 84/4.

For Sri Lanka, the job from hereon is simple. To bat, bat and bat till they get the remaining 288 runs. It, however, will not be straightforward. On paper, it might seem chaseable, but all India would need is just one wicket to break the stand and open the floodgates as was seen in the first innings. And with the wear and tear on the surface, spinners, especially Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja, will have a long day on the field. The other aspect India would be worried about is the weather. Galle has seen rain interrupt play on multiple occasions over the last four days and Wednesday could be the same. While the hosts will pray for a resilient batting show and rain, India will be hoping for as much time as they can get in the middle.

Though the focus has been and will be on the spinners, and rightly so, one member of the Indian team who will breathe little easy is Rishabh Pant. Having missed out in the first innings, he launched a calculative counter-attack, the kind of innings only he is capable of, to assist India score quickly and extend the lead. His 69-ball 66 might not be the most impactful innings of the match, but for Pant, and his recent form, the significance of this knock holds paramount.

Despite the 81 against Afghanistan, Pant has constantly come under the lens for his audacious and sometimes freakish shot selections. He had a poor series with the bat against South Africa even as he captained in the second match and with Jurel scoring a fifty, another failure could have added pressure on Pant.

The Delhi batter, however, rose to the occasion in a timely manner to put India on top. For the 103 minutes he was in the middle, India scored 93 runs in 19.5 overs, operating at a little more than four runs per over. Given the circumstances of the match, that is exactly the kind of innings India needed and Pant delivered. He hit eight fours and two sixes and in the process became the fastest to smash 100 sixes in Test cricket. Pant reached the milestone 31 Tests fewer than Ben Stokes and 41 innings and 1660 balls fewer than Adam Gilchrist.

In some ways, it is not a surprise considering his first scoring shot in Test cricket back in 2018 was a six down the ground on debut. Pant always has been a maverick with the bat and will continue to be. India will hope that he can play the kind of knock he did more in the days, months and years to come.