New Delhi: The milestone for the memorable century has been set. Rishabh PantBut the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman chose to squander the opportunity. Pant, who was dropped as India’s vice-captain before the series, was handed the role. KL RahulFell for 81 off 121 balls when he mistimed an attacking stroke and was caught by the Afghanistan captain at mid-off. Hashmatullah Shahidi.An out that drew criticism from all quarters, the former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Saba Karim He said that Pant looked in complete control in most of his innings and was surprised to see him go in that manner. Karim also believed that Pant’s dismissal on the second day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Milanpur was more a result of fatigue and dehydration than poor shot selection, after the left-hander’s brilliant innings ended on 81.“I was expecting a big knock from Rishabh Pant as he seemed to be in control, despite that outside edge which was not reviewed,” Karim told Jio Hotstar.The former national selector felt that Pant’s physical condition in the scorching heat played a major role in the dismissal.“However, I noticed that an over before he got out, he started to lose energy. He didn’t seem like he had much gas left in the tank. He needed some physio, and I think he was getting dehydrated. So it was probably a lack of concentration more than anything else,” he added.“Rarely have you seen Rishabh Pant go for a big shot when both long-on and long-off are on the boundary. He was just trying to accelerate but didn’t get the right ball to play that shot,” he said.“Because, whenever he decides to go big, he’s usually very decisive with his footwork and the delivery he chooses to attack,” he added.Pant’s innings played a key role in India’s first innings total of 564/8, helping the hosts consolidate their grip on the match despite being 19 runs short of what would have been his seventh Test century.
