His counter-attack had put the pressure back on England in the first Test as well even though they had put up a big total on the board. On this occasion, in the fourth and final Test, England had no respite from — and no answers to — Rishabh Pant.

Not that India had had a smooth sailing after resuming at 24 for one. With Cheteshwar Pujara, captain Virat Kohli and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane back in the hut, India were wobbling at 80 for four when Pant arrived at the crease.

At that point, with their bowlers in control, a lead was not beyond England, but Pant extinguished that hope.

On a sweltering day in Ahmedabad, the irrepressible wicketkeeper-batsman made a magnificent third Test hundred, reaching the mark in the evening session fittingly, with a mighty swept six off Joe Root.

Not just his daring — at one point, Pant reverse-scooped James Anderson over the slips for four — what stood out above all was his sharp reading of the game. He played carefully in the afternoon, refusing the bait of Jack Leach’s boundary fielders, before pouncing as England’s bowlers tired.

Pant is one of those players who has an immediate and brutal impact on the game, as Tim Paine’s Australians found out not too long ago.

From walking a tightrope, India began bossing the game in less than two sessions. Thanks to Pant’s 101 and his splendid 113-run stand with the impressive Washington Sundar (60 batting), India find themselves strongly placed at 294 for seven at stumps on Day II, already having taken a healthy 89-run lead.

The pitch, from hereon, will only get tougher to bat on, so England have their task cut out.

Innovative shots aren’t new to Rishabh Pant but on Friday he surpassed his own lofty standards when he played an audacious reverse-scoop off James Anderson, who was bowling with the second new ball, over the slip cordon for a boundary. It was one of several attacking shots that Pant unleashed at the Motera stadium. Fresh off scores of 97 in Sydney and a match-winning 89 not out in Brisbane, Pant now reached his first Test hundred on home soil that has put India on course for a World Test Championship final berth. The perfect entertainer, Pant later admitted that the shot was “premeditated”. He later reached his century with a six off Joe Root. “Look at that, look at the way he has given joy to those at the ground, to the millions watching this on television. Oh, this is amazing. This is so wonderful,” Sunil Gavaskar said during commentary. Twitter

For the first two sessions, though, the visitors had India under the cosh, reducing the hosts to 146 for six a little before tea. Like Anderson, Ben Stokes too was so immaculate in terms of the length he bowled that even a set Rohit Sharma couldn’t get his fifty, while Kohli was foxed by the extra bounce.

Even the freebies Dom Bess had been offering didn’t cost England much then, though they were also unlucky as umpire Nitin Menon ruled in favour of Pant after the off-spinner had trapped him in front on the stroke of tea. Umpire’s call saved Pant.

After that, there was no stopping the 23-year-old.

“I think this was one of Pant’s finest knocks as it came under pressure. He was quite cautious at the beginning and then flourished like the Rishabh Pant we know.

“He brings that spark and understands his game well now,” emphasised Rohit.

“Washy too deserves credit. He was tight in his technique. When they came in at the tea break, the message to them was to first get to the total, and then try and press from there,” Rohit said.

However, what baffled many was Root’s field settings that allowed the pair easy ones and twos.

Jack Leach could have exploited the rough outside the left-hander’s off stump, but he could only bowl a few deliveries to Pant in that final session, which also left England’s spin bowling consultant Jeetan Patel “just as surprised” as the others.

Stat-o-sphere

• James Anderson’s second wicket of the innings (of Ajinkya Rahane) was the 900th of his international career across all formats. He became the sixth bowler to do so. He now has 901 wickets. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (1347), Shane Warne (1001), Anil Kumble (956), Glenn McGrath (949) and Wasim Akram (916) have taken more wickets.
• Cheteshwar Pujara has not scored a three-figure score in his last 28 Test innings since his 193 at Sydney in January 2019. This is the longest century drought of his career.
• Virat Kohli has now registered 12 ducks in his career. It was his fifth against England — his most against any opposition.
• It was Virat’s second duck in this series. The only time he registered two ducks in the same series was in England in 2014.
• This was Virat’s eighth duck as Test captain. Only Stephen Fleming (13) and Graeme Smith (10) have more ducks as captain.
• Virat has not scored a century for India across all formats since his 136 in the D-N Test at Eden Gardens in Nov. 2019. Since then he has gone without a century in 36 innings, his worst century-less innings sequence.
• Rishabh Pant’s century was the third of his career and his first at home.
• Among Indian ’keepers, MS Dhoni has six centuries, while Wriddhiman Saha and Pant have 3 each.

Mohandas Menon