Rishabh Pant on Thursday once again faced backlash for his shoddy work behind the stumps as he dropped Australian debutant Will Pucovski twice on Day 1 of the third Test between Australia and India. The debutant made most of the dropped chances as he went on to complete his maiden half-century.
The incident took place in the final delivery of the 22nd over, when R Ashwin beat Pucovski with his flight. The batsman while attempting a defensive push got an outside edge but Pant failed to hold onto the ball, which looked like a routine catch for a wicket-keeper.
Pant gives Puc a life! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/PwhpHuJI4D
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2021
Pucovski once again got lucky in the 25th over, with Pant being in the centre of action once again. This time while attempting to slog a short delivery by Mohammed Siraj towards the on-side, the ball hit Pucovski's gloves and lobbed behind the wicket-keeper. Pant, who tried to make up for his earlier mistake, dived for the ball and managed to hold on to it. However, TV replay confirmed that the ball was not caught cleanly and the umpires asked Pucovski to continue.
A rollercoaster of emotions for Will Pucovski! Initially given out, but on closer inspection he's recalled to the crease! #OhWhatAFeeling@Toyota_Aus | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/WgT5lCRjAE
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2021
He went on to add 62 from 110 deliveries before being eventually removed by India debutant Navdeep Saini in the third session of the day. Pucovski along with Marnus Labuschagne added 100 runs for the second wicket, helping Australia maintain their grip in the contest.
Earlier in the day, Australian skipper Tim Paine won the toss and elected to bat first. Mohammed Siraj provided India with the early breakthrough, as he removed David Warner cheaply on 5. With Labuschagne still going strong in the middle and Steve Smith being on the other end, the hosts would look to pile a huge first inning total.
