Mullanpur: Rishabh Pant answered his critics in the best possible manner with a stroke-filled 81 as India were on course for a mammoth first innings score, reaching 475 for 6 against Afghanistan at lunch on the second day of the one-off Test, here Sunday.
In-front of a sparse Sunday crowd, Pant did play his signature strokes but also curbed his natural instinct to go after each delivery, treating each ball on its merit during his 121-ball knock that had six boundaries and three sixes.
He should have completed his century but debutant left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote, who suddenly slowed the pace considerably. Pant charged down the track but couldn't fully reach to the pitch of the delivery as the lofted hit ballooned up for a simple catch.
For Afghanistan, their IPL star Azmatullah Omarzai was distinctly unlucky. He was very impressive with the second new ball, beating the bat on a number of occasions without much luck.
In the first hour of second morning, Shubman Gill (126 off 177 balls) was dismissed by Mohammad Saleem (4/109 in 20 overs), who bowled a beauty to get rid of Indian skipper.
It was pitched on fuller length on off-stump channel drawing Gill forward and then there was a hint of outward movement taking the edge of his bat ending a 169-run stand.
Dhruv Jurel played a few beautiful shots square of the wicket but Saleem got one to reverse as Jurel decided to leave the ball on length only to find his off-stump pegged back.
However one dismissal that left the crowd high and dry was Pant's as they were expecting some more fireworks from him once the spinners came into operation.
Going into the lunch break, Washington Sundar (14 batting) and debutant Manav Suthar (9 batting) were at the crease.
