'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Should head to Australia dressing room’ - Sunil Gavaskar lambasts Rishabh Pant following reckless dismissal

Rishabh Pant faced immense flak following his dismissal on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The flamboyant batter looked to be in well in control before attempting to play a scoop and that resulted in him getting a thick edge and the ball carried to the third-man region where Nathan Lyon was stationed. The spinner picked up a simple catch as Pant departed for 28 runs.

The keeper-batter had a good start on Day 3 and with India being seven down, the scoop may have seemed reckless. He has found success playing the same shot but it invited criticism when he failed to time it at MCG. Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was livid following his dismissal and called Pant out for playing a ‘stupid’ shot. He even advised the cricketer to go to the Australian dressing room rather than India’s.

Check Out - WATCH: Unnecessary risk costs Rishabh Pant his wicket, sparks frustration

“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! That is not playing your natural game, (and) that is a stupid shot. He should not be going in that (Indian) dressing room, he should be going into the other dressing room,” Gavaskar said on ABC Grandstand’s commentary immediately after the dismissal as quoted by Fox Cricket.

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Alyssa Healy, Kerry O’Keeffe lauded Pat Cummins’ captaincy

Australia captain Alyssa Healy and Kerry O’Keeffe, who were part of the commentary panel during Pant’s dismissal, lauded Pat Cummins for setting an attacking field. Kerry mentioned that the pacer anticipated such a shot from the India international while Healy analysed that even though Pant didn’t intend the ball to go to the third-man region, it was a risky shot, given that there were two players on the leg side.

“You sense that Pant was placed there for such a shot. They also had the two deep (fielders) on the leg side, a fine leg and a backward square anticipating something like that,” Kerry said.

“Obviously Rishabh didn’t mean the ball to go to Nathan Lyon, but with two out on the leg side it’s a risky shot,” Healy explained.

“Pat was grinning, he knew he had the field right there,” Kerry concluded.