NEW DELHI: Afghanistan missed a golden opportunity to dismiss the in-form Rishabh Pant on Day 2 of the one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.
The incident occurred in the 89th over of India's innings when Azmatullah Omarzai induced a loud caught-behind appeal against Pant. The umpire turned down the appeal, and while Afghanistan briefly discussed the possibility of a review, wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai appeared convinced there was no edge.
Trusting their wicketkeeper's judgement, Afghanistan decided against taking the DRS review. However, replays later showed that the decision could have gone in Afghanistan's favour. UltraEdge revealed a clear spike as the ball passed Pant's bat before carrying through to the wicketkeeper, suggesting there had indeed been an edge.
The missed opportunity proved costly as Pant went on to score 81 off 121 balls before eventually being dismissed by Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Pant looked set for another century but failed to convert his start. Shahidi deceived him with a flighted delivery as the left-hander charged down the track looking for a big hit. The ball turned slightly, resulting in a mistimed shot off the bottom of the bat.
The ball ballooned high into the air and Azmatullah Omarzai settled under it to complete a simple catch, bringing an end to Pant's entertaining knock.
Earlier, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill struck impressive centuries to put India in a commanding position. Rahul scored a composed 100 off 165 deliveries before being dismissed by Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, while Gill made 126 from 177 balls, an innings studded with 15 fours and a six.
About the Author: TOI Sports Desk reporters work around the clock to bring comprehensive updates from the world of sports, including nuanced match reports, previews, reviews, statistics-based technical analysis, social media trends, and expert insights across cricket, football, tennis, badminton, hockey, motorsports, wrestling, boxing, shooting, athletics, and more.
