The young Indian wicket-keeper, Rishabh Pant again had a bad day on the field in the absence of MS Dhoni behind the stumps during the first T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday. He convinced skipper Rohit Sharma to opt for Decision Review System (DRS) against Soumya Sarkar on the last ball of the 10th over.
Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was unsure but Pant was confident of a caught behind the opportunity. However, the UltraEdge showed a flat line as the ball went past the bat. Sarkar survived on 20 when Bangladesh was 62/2 in the chase of 149. While India lost the review because of Pant in the 10th over, he had earlier failed to spot DRS chances against Mushfiqur Rahim, when he has trapped LBW twice in the previous over of the same bowler.
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Mushfiqur Rahim went on to score a match-winning knock of 60* off 43 balls, with the help of eight boundaries and a six. The fans flooded Twitter with hilarious memes on Pant’s bad day on the field, drawing comparisons with Dhoni.
I know Indian cricket fans will always love MS Dhoni (well of course!)…
But to see Delhi crowd jeer Rishabh Pant with “Dhoni Dhoni” chant at failed DRS appeal is disappointing. This is Pant’s homeground… for crying out loud. Show some love to the kid. #IndvBan
— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) November 3, 2019
When some1 says – Pant can replace MS DHONI and I be like –
😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/dBVQfCFZ0w— Deep Kumar (@deep_kumar07) November 3, 2019
#IndvsBan
Rohit Sharma telling Rishab Pant
DRS means Dhoni Review System#MajorMissingDhoni pic.twitter.com/ULPP8Wfuig— Ronil (@Ronil__Mehta) November 3, 2019
Dhoni while watching rishabh pant's innings #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/jHsf5kpCNY
— Another Gujju (@im_NEWhere) November 3, 2019
My reaction to those people who say Rishab Pant is replacement of Dhoni's.#IndvsBan pic.twitter.com/6t6BAorlz0
— Gautam singh (@gautams437) November 3, 2019
#IndvsBan
Rishabh pant trying to replace dhoni be like: pic.twitter.com/XFLOgsFH3Y— _nadaan.parinda_🐦 (@jaypatidar_) November 3, 2019
Dhoni sitting at home and watching Rishabh Pant in today’s match. #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/HixjQkxIs0
— Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) November 3, 2019
Dhoni after watching Rishabh Pant #IndvsBan pic.twitter.com/EOZfGYT3eb
— Jersey No. 269 🇮🇳 (@mansifule) November 3, 2019
Dhoni to Pant after seeing his wicket keeping. 😂#IndvsBan #BANvIND pic.twitter.com/BJ66CRog9r
— Vaibhav (@Vaibhav4real) November 3, 2019
Dhoni fans after seeing Rishabh pant's performance : pic.twitter.com/27UsRxJecF
— OM Rajpurohit (@omrajguru) November 3, 2019
In the match, after winning the toss, the visiting skipper Mahmudullah decided to bowl first citing a heavy dew in Delhi in the latter half of the innings. India’s stand-in skipper, Rohit Sharma also would’ve preferred the same. India only managed to reach a total of 148/6 in their quota of 20 overs and the visitors chased it down with 7 wickets in hand and 3 balls to spare.
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For India, Shikhar Dhawan was the highest run-scorer as he as 41 runs but he was dismissed after a mix-up in the middle with Rishabh Pant. India posted 148 for six in their 20 overs. Like India, Bangladesh also lost their opening batsman in the first over as Deepak Chahar sent back Liton Das for seven.
This is Bangladesh’s first-ever victory over India in the shortest format of the game. With the win, Bangladesh has taken a lead of 1-0 up in the 3-match T20I series against India. The second T20I will be played in Rajkot on Thursday.
