Former Indian skipper, Virender Sehwag found a way to take a sly dig at former Aussie skipper, Ricky Ponting after India pulled off a remarkable draw against Australia in the Sydney Test on Monday. Ponting had earlier predicted during a Q&A session on Twitter that India “won’t make 200” in the second innings of the third Test.
As it turned out, India finished their second essay on 334 for 5, ending Australia’s hopes of taking a lead in the series. Sehwag quote-tweeted Ponting’s message with a screenshot from an Indian Premier League (IPL) match where the young wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant is seen eavesdropping on Ponting’s chat with IPL broadcasters. Ponting coached Pant at Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020.
https://t.co/Z8zqkzZGNe pic.twitter.com/hKPAa3FLoc
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 11, 2021
Pant’s fluent 97 and Cheteshwar Pujara’s 77 helped India maintain a grip on the game in the first session. However, their dismissals in the second session followed by an injury to Hanuma Vihari meant that India had to play for a draw.
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There was one instance from the match which was also criticized by the fans. A video has surfaced on the internet which showed Steve Smith trying to remove the batting guard of Rishabh Pant during his innings. After the video that went viral on the social media, viral on the internet, fans started calling Smith a ‘cheat’ for using underhanded tactics.
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Virender Sehwag also commented on the incident, saying that the Aussies tried everything but failed to deter the Indian batsmen on Day 5. e tweeted, “Tried all tricks including Steve Smith trying to remove Pant’s batting guard marks from the crease. Par kuch kaam na aaya (But nothing could help Australia),” tweeted Sehwag.
Tried all tricks including Steve Smith trying to remove Pant's batting guard marks from the crease. Par kuch kaam na aaya. Khaaya peeya kuch nahi, glass toda barana.
But I am so so proud of the effort of the Indian team today. Seena chonda ho gaya yaar. pic.twitter.com/IfttxRXHeM— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 11, 2021
In the end, Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin batted out 42.4 overs across the last two sessions of the Test to defy Australia and keep the series level at 1-1 with one game to play. With the Sydney Test drawn, the teams will now move to Brisbane for the fourth and final Test set to begin on January 15 at The Gabba.
