He may be unpredictable – his uncanny style of batting has earned him both bouquets and brickbats.
Yet, after his selfless gesture in the ongoing fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, he only deserves obeisance.
Hit on his toe and forced to retire hurt on the first day, the burly southpaw took all by surprise when he walked into bat limping with a broken right toe after the fall of Shardul Thakur’s wicket the next day.
ICC rules debarred him from taking a runner but he didn’t give up.
Once his reverse sweep turned menacing fracturing his toe, one would have shuddered to imagine he would be back in the middle.
But being true to his capricious avatar, the Indian vice-captain limped his way back to the ground giving some respectability to India’s score with a half-century that epitomises perseverance coupled with a steely resolve to fight till the last drop of blood.
Call him “STUPID, STUPID, STUPID” – Pant’s never-say die attitude can be ill- afforded to be turned a blind eye to.
The spring in the foot is conspicuous and the contagious energy combined with his diligence – that’s the diminutive southpaw for you.
Talk of illimitable commitment – we are reminded of Yuvraj Singh, Graeme Smith and Anil Kumble all of whom gave precedence to their team’s cause shunning excruciating pain.
However, Pant’s undaunted attitude stands him out. Kumble had a broken jaw, yet he joined his team getting the legendary Brian Lara out. Approbation!
But without degrading Kumble’s efforts, let us not hesitate to place Pant’s resolute spirit ahead of arguably India’s biggest match winner till day.
And yes Pant’s fearless approach can only be equated with Yuvraj’s tenacity to battle severe indisposition (that led to cancer detection) to play a stellar role in India’s World Cup triumph in 2011.
Batting is all about feet movement, so you are crippled if injury torpedoes it, yet that didn’t deter Pant who proved once again that he hails from a different planet.
Pant’s sudden rush of blood at precarious junctures might have incurred innuendos, but after watching him bat amid unbearable discomfort, even his harshest detractors would think a hundred times before launching a verbal assault on him.
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The serious injury means he misses the remaining part of the five-match Test series – a huge jolt to Shubman Gill‘s boys, who are almost staring down the barrel.
Pant’s absence is worrisome from the team’s point of view – an evidence of sheer indispesability and a testament to the towering presence of Pant in Team India’s scheme of things.
