Former India player turned commentator Mohammad Kaif has opened up on Rishabh Pant’s dismissal in the first Test against Sri Lanka to a lack of common sense as well. He stated that aggressive batters like Pant also observe how the new ball
is behaving before playing attacking shots as well. Pant scored 39 runs off 62 balls and was caught at long-off off Keshara
Nuwantha’s bowling on Day 2 (Sunday, August 16) in Galle as well. India ended the rain-hit day at 460/9 in their first innings as well.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Kaif said, “The pitch was going to behave differently when the new ball came. The new ball is hard, has a hard seam, and would react differently. This is common sense. 73 overs were bowled yesterday. The ball didn’t turn in the seven overs that were played with the old ball today. Rishabh Pant and Devdutt Padikkal played easily.”

“I have no complaints about the way Rishabh Pant got out. He plays like that only, but the complaint is about common sense. It was the first over with the new ball. He jumped three times in that over. Common sense means play the cut shot. See the new ball for five to six overs. This is the Test match tradition. Whoever plays like him also uses common sense,” he further added. “I was surprised that he jumped on the first ball. One needs to calculate a little. Even if a batter is on 150, he also plays out a few balls when the new ball comes. I am cutting a few numbers there. He was left way behind in logic and cricketing sense.”

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Speaking on Sony Sports, former India spinner Murali Kartik also said that Rishabh Pant erred in reading the drift with the second new ball as well.

“Rishabh Pant made a mistake. If you see that ball again, the new ball didn’t drift inward. He jumped on the first ball, and that also drifted away. He tapped it to short third man. The second ball also drifted away,” he said. “When he jumped the third time, he jumped far away, which means the ball was going away from you. After that, you played the shot. The bowler needs to be praised because it was a very good ball, but a bowler gets a wicket only when a batter makes a mistake,” Kartik shared.