SA vs IND: Rishabh Pant savagely defends himself after Marco Jansen throws ball at him in Cape Town

After a string of low scores, Rishabh Pant unleashed his prime in the high-voltage third Test against South Africa. On a track which assisted fast bowlers right from Day 1, the wicketkeeper-batter made a mockery of Proteas bowlers and played several delightful shots all over the park. From Kagiso Rabada to Marco Jansen, the southpaw spared none during the course of his stellar knock.

Meanwhile, Pant didn’t frustrate South African bowlers only with his shot-making. His antics in the 50th over of India’s innings left the fans in splits. The southpaw tried to play a straight drive against a full delivery from Marco Jansen. The ball went straight in the pacer’s hands and he threw the ball towards Pant after probably seeing a run-out opportunity.

Rishabh Pant entertains fans in Cape Town

However, Pant, who was well within the crease, savagely defended himself from the bat. In fact, Pant didn’t even need to move his bat much. He held his pose after driving the ball straight. As Jansen threw the ball around his bat’s height only, the 24-year-old defended the ball with sheer comfort. As Pant didn’t make any deliberate attempt to obstruct the field, there wasn’t any repercussion for his action.

Meanwhile, as I write this, India have extended their lead over 180 runs. Pant has entered his 80s and would like to record his third fourth ton in Test matches. Considering the current situation of the game, India are definitely on the driver’s seat as the track is constantly deteriorating with time.

Hence, chasing anything over or even around 200 would be challenging for the home team. It must be noted that stakes are incredibly high in the ongoing Cape Town Test. With the series being poised at 1-1, the winner of this clash would walk away with a series victory. As India have never won a Test series in South Africa, they have a chance to script history.

On the other hand, South Africa will fight to avoid the same. With more than two days of play left in the day, a result is certain to come and it would be interesting to see which side comes on top.