WATCH: Rishabh Pant gets down on one knee to launch 107-metre maximum, leaves Kiwis baffled
The colossal maximum was Pant's fifth in his sensational knock.
Rishabh Pant would arguably be the last individual on the planet to be questioned when it comes to being affected by the Nervous Nineties syndrome, in terms of intent if not statistics. The spectacle he managed to pull off during Day 4 of the first Test between India and New Zealand was something that just goes back to the aforementioned assertion.
10 runs away from the 100-run milestone, Pant nonchalantly got down on one knee to pick the bones out of Southee's delivery bowled from right-arm-around to blast the ball on the roof of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. That particular shot elicited a sort of reaction one would give after being shell-shocked on being witness to a flow of events characterized by absolute carnage, which was exactly what the faces of the Black Caps' fielders provided.
Glenn Phillips' jaws seemed to have dropped to the ground, such was the level of astonishment he was immersed in. Daryl Mitchell had half of his face covered with his right hand. KL Rahul, batting at the other end, was in equal disbelief. He stood there for a few seconds staring at the wicketkeeper-batter, as to depict a spectator being hypnotized by the allure of a magician.
Also Check: WATCH: BCCI's blast-from-past clip shows Virat Kohli bowing down to Sarfaraz Khan at Chinnaswamy Stadium
Pant denied century via unlucky chop-on
Pant was all set to make his way to a truly majestic seventh Test ton, but it wasn't meant to be. William O’Rourke's delivery was played on by Pant onto his stumps. A ball that nipped back a bit more than Pant anticipated saw the ball taking the inside edge of the bat before crashing onto the stumps to convert a raucous Chinnaswamy crowd into a chasm of complete silence.
Pant walked back to a standing ovation with him seeming completely expressionless as to what had gone down on the previous delivery. Interstingly, Pant has got out in the 90s more number of times than he has scored centuries in the longest format.
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