Rishabh Pant Joins the 99-Run Club in Test Cricket with Dhoni & Ganguly
Rishabh Pant Joins MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly in the Unfortunate 99-Run Club in Test Cricket
Rishabh Pant’s Test cricket journey entered a bitter-sweet phase as he found himself on a list that the Indian batters do not like getting onto. It all happened on October 10, the fourth day of the Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The 27-year-old Pant was bowled over for 99 off 105 balls in a marathon innings that had three sixes and 18 fours to his credit. His innings went down precariously when William O’Rourke took his wicket, which would have been his seventh Test century.
Rishabh Pant’s arrival in this list sees him sit among the pantheon of greats like MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly, who suffered the ignominy of dismissal on 99 in Test matches. MS Dhoni, one of the contemporary instances who gave much to Indian cricket, went out without a run for 99 in December 2012 against England in Nagpur after a sharp piece of fielding by Alastair Cook. Sourav Ganguly faced this scenario twice during his career in 1997 against Sri Lanka in Nagpur and then in 2002 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham against England.
Several other Indian batters share this disappointment, having fallen just one run short of a century in Test cricket. This list included Motganhalli Laxminarsu Jaisimha, who made it against Pakistan in Kanpur in 1960; Pankaj Roy against Australia in Delhi in 1959; and Rusi Framroze Surti in Auckland against New Zealand in 1968. The modern era also saw many players, like Virender Sehwag, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Murali Vijay, and Ajit Wadekar, add their names to this list with their dismissals on 99 in their respective Test matches.
The dismissals on 99, though a rarity, are that thin line separating scoring a memorable century from that unfortunate moment in cricket. Rishabh Pant often puts his aggressive nature of batting upfront as well as welcomes fearlessness and sometimes also risks it to leave many major milestones behind. At Bengaluru, the attempt had brought India’s innings to life with Pant trying to walk back just short of the three-figure mark.
The list of Indian players getting out for 99 speaks about cricket’s uncertainty and how even the best can fall agonizingly short. MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly, two influential figures in Indian cricket and known for their leadership and batting skills as the “godfathers of cricket,” could not escape the same fate. This only indicates that even the best cricketing professionals lose at certain instances in time, and these occasions paint the colorful past of the game.
The Test match at Bengaluru has already witnessed a lot of drama, including the Pant dismissal and how well the teams performed so far. While the shock of getting dismissed for 99 is a bitter pill to swallow, scoring regularly through batting has always been proof of Pant’s potential as a cricketer. The audience is always looking out for thrilling moments, and sites like Winexch provide an option to watch live cricket for free so that fans do not lose interest in the game.
While Pant’s entry into the 99-run club in test cricket might be unfortunate, there is no dearth of aggression and a desire to come out on top in Pant’s equation. For Pant, consistent scoring and impactful performances are imperative, and a setback like this is merely part of the long cricketing journey. This young wicketkeeper-batter, it had been an ups and downs ride, and to his credit, his talent and hard work will help him turn out better in the games in days to come.
FAQ
- Why is Rishabh Pant’s dismissal on 99 given so much importance?
The dismissal of Rishabh Pant on 99 is given importance because it placed him on a list of Indian cricketers who got dismissed one short of reaching a Test cricket century.
- When was MS Dhoni bowled for 99 in the Test?
MS Dhoni was bowled for 99 in December 2012 against England at Nagpur.
- Which bowlers took Pant’s wicket on 99?
In the Test match, Rishabh Pant had lost his wicket to William O’Rourke of New Zealand, too.
- Where to watch free live cricket matches?
Fans can “watch live cricket for free” on platforms like Winexch to keep up with ongoing matches and get to see their favourite players in action.