Rishabh Pant faced an arduous day on the opening day of the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as India battled Australia. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter endured an array of painful blows from the Australian pacers, taking twelve hits before eventually succumbing to Scott Boland’s short-pitched delivery.
Pant walked in to bat after the lunch break with India in a precarious position. His innings began with immediate adversity as Mitchell Starc’s short ball in the 35th over struck him on the arm while he tried to fend it off. The impact left a noticeable bruise that quickly turned black. Pant, visibly in pain, immediately called for medical attention, and the team physio applied an ice pack to treat the injury. However, the blows didn’t stop there. Shortly after, another short ball from Starc hit Pant on the helmet, the force of the impact leaving him little time to react. Despite the repeated punishment, Pant stood firm, remaining unbeaten until the tea break, having batted through the pain alongside Ravindra Jadeja. The pair added 48 runs together, but the physical toll was evident.
Pant’s resilience was finally broken in the 57th over when he fell to another short-pitch delivery from Boland. Pant attempted to pull the ball but mishit it off the thick inside half of his bat, sending the ball straight to Australian captain Pat Cummins at mid-wicket. The next ball brought another wicket as Nitish Kumar Reddy, on a golden duck, edged the delivery to second slip, leaving Boland with a four-wicket haul.
Pant’s dismissal came after a session of gritty resistance, where he had dodged several short-pitched deliveries. He had carefully avoided playing rash shots, despite the physical toll of being battered on the arms and helmet. However, his grind was short-lived, much like his earlier innings at the MCG, where he had also fallen after weathering a similar barrage. His dismissal left India in deep trouble at 125/6 at the end of day 1.
Earlier in the day, India won the toss and chose to bat. However, their top-order faltered under pressure. In the fifth over, Starc removed KL Rahul, and shortly after, Boland dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal. Just before the lunch break, Nathan Lyon dismissed Shubman Gill for 20 runs, further adding to India's woes. Post-lunch, Virat Kohli fell to another delivery outside the off-stump, caught at third slip by debutant Beau Webster, giving Boland his second wicket. Boland would go on to dismiss Pant and Nitish, leaving India’s batting lineup in tatters.
By the close of play, India were struggling at 125/6, with the team’s hopes largely resting on Ravindra Jadeja and the lower order as they looked to salvage their innings on day 2.
