IND vs ENG: 'What is the tone?' - Gautam Gambhir slammed after Rishabh Pant’s 'brainfade' dismissal

Rishabh Pant's Century Overshadowed by Coaching Intervention Debate After Dismissal

Rishabh Pant's magnificent century at Headingley during the first Test against England was a standout performance, but also sparked debate regarding potential coaching intervention. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter surpassed MS Dhoni's record with his impressive innings.

India's Rishabh Pant (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

Pant's innings of 134 runs came to an end after he was dismissed by Josh Tongue. This led commentator Dinesh Karthik to question whether head coach Gautam Gambhir's possible intervention might have disrupted Pant's natural game. The 27-year-old celebrated his century with a celebratory somersault. He joined Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill as century-makers in India's total of 471.

Pant's dismissal occurred in the 108th over. Tongue delivered an inswinging delivery that struck Pant's pad. Replays confirmed the ball's trajectory would have hit the middle and leg stump.

Dinesh Karthik, while commentating for Sky Sports, noted a possible shift in Pant's approach. He suggested this may have been due to a message from the coaching staff. "Also very interesting, when a message was sent out to Rishabh Pant, it curbed his style of play. He was just very carefree with his stroke making, and yet the feeling that a message was sent to tell him to calm down doesn't work for certain players, I guess," Karthik stated.

Karthik emphasized the importance of carefully considering communication methods between coaches and players. "As a coach, it's completely understandable when you want to get a message across to the batter. But over time, you realise, for certain players, how you send that message becomes very important, what is the tone, what is the language used that gets the best out of the batter," he explained.

The former India wicketkeeper-batter implied that a tailored approach might be more effective for Pant. "Maybe with Rishabh Pant, it needs to be a different way in which you get things done," Karthik added.

India's innings saw a collapse during the first session of Day 2, with four wickets falling in the final thirty minutes. Shubman Gill (147), Karun Nair (0), Rishabh Pant (134), and Shardul Thakur (1) were all dismissed during this period.

The Indian team's final seven wickets fell for a mere 41 runs. Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes each took four wickets for England. England captain Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl first at Headingley.

The innings featured three centurions from India: Jaiswal, Gill, and Pant. They helped India reach a total of 471 despite the late collapse. Their contributions formed the backbone of India's first innings score.

The match situation showcased both India's batting prowess, highlighted by their century-makers, and their vulnerability to losing wickets in clusters during the latter stages of their innings. England's bowlers, Tongue and Stokes in particular, exploited this period to limit India's total.