Rishabh Pant talking to himself in Hindi on the stump mic on Day 3 is absolute gold. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter, who has looked hurried in this innings, was telling himself to calm down and stop taking so many chances.“Waise zaruri nahi hai (It is not important). Maarna hai to seedha lag jayega na next ball (If you want to hit, do it with a straight bat next ball). Zabardasti try kar raha hai (Why are you trying to score forcefully),” Pant was caught saying on the stump mic.In the commentary box, former England captain Michael Atherton asked Dinesh Karthik to translate what Pant was telling himself.“First up, he said to himself that he should play with a straight bat and he will still middle it. Don’t try to do too much. He’s almost talking himself into saying he doesn’t need to do anything out of the ordinary,” translated Karthik.“He is pretty disappointed with what he did, and I hope he listens to himself,” he added.Pant, who scored a scintillating century in the first innings, has been caught between his natural game and holding himself back.
“I mean, it’s interesting, isn’t it? Because it implies that he has played so much by instinct that instinct just takes over, no matter what he is telling himself to do,” said Atherton.India’s vice-captain slammed his seventh Test ton — and third in England — the best by any visiting wicketkeeper. He now holds the record for most Test hundreds as a wicketkeeper for India, going past MS Dhoni’s tally of six.The 27-year-old played a ferocious knock of 134 and was also involved in a crucial 209-run partnership with skipper Shubman Gill, who slammed 147 on his Test captaincy debut — also his highest score in the format.
