Rishabh Pant's 107m six had a ripple effect which worked in New Zealand's favour |Courtesy - Screengrab (BCCI)
Remember how MS Dhoni's stunning six off Yash Dayal led to a ball change that helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) dismiss him in the blockbuster 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru? A similar incident occurred during India's defeat to New Zealand in the first Test with Rishabh Pant at the center of the incident.
India made a strong comeback with the bat in the second inning after being bowled for 46 and conceding a 356-run lead. After half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and a brilliant ton from Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant threatened to take the game away from New Zealand, as despite a knee injury, he looked at his destructive best with the bat and got India into the lead.
How Rishabh Pant's Six Triggered India's Collapse?
Batting on 90 and with India 419-4, Rishabh Pant played arguably the best shot of the match as he slog sweeped legendary New Zealand pacer Tim Southee for a huge six which was measured to be 107m. The 27-year-old timed the ball to perfection and the ball travelled over the stadium's roof.
Pant's maximum meant the ball which was just 6.3 overs old had to replaced. The arrival of another new ball changed the course of India's innings. Less than two overs later (88.1), Pant departed for 99 after chopping a delivery from William ORourke onto his own stumps.
This triggered a collapse from the Indian batting unit as they lose six wickets for just 29 runs and were bowled out for 462.
Quite evidently, the ball changed worked in New Zealand's favour as following Pant's six, India made just 37 runs while losing six wickets in 13 overs. Before that, the Black Caps had struggled to make any significant impact with the new ball as India made 25 runs in 6.3 overs while losing just one wicket which was the dismissal of Sarfaraz Khan after a marathon knock of 150.
For those unversed, a brand new ball is used at the start of an innings and after 80 overs; if there is a forced change in between, it is done from a limited set kept from previous matches with the number of overs used marked on it. The replacement ball is picked according to one that is closest in terms of usage to the previous one.
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