"Stupid, Stupid, Stupid," Sunil Gavaskar slams Rishabh Pant's shot selection

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has strongly criticized Rishabh Pant for his reckless shot selection during India's first innings on the third morning of the MCG Test against Australia.

Pant, who was looking comfortable with 28 runs off 37 balls, fell to a poor shot that led to his dismissal, sparking harsh words from Gavaskar. At the start of the day, India was 164 for 5, and Pant was working with Ravindra Jadeja to rebuild the innings. However, Pant's decision to play a risky scoop off Scott Boland proved costly.

The shot, aimed towards the leg side, took an edge and was caught by Nathan Lyon at deep third man. Gavaskar, speaking on Star Sports during the lunch break, called Pant’s shot “terrible” given the situation in the match and the field placement.

"I think earlier on, when there had been no fielders around, attempting these shots is understandable because you're taking a chance," Gavaskar said. "But that shot, at that particular point, with two fielders already in the deep, was a terrible selection. It actually tells you maybe there was a bit of bad luck involved, but the shot choice was wrong," he added. 

Pant’s dismissal came after a similar attempt on the previous ball, which he had mistimed and barely managed to keep out. Gavaskar, clearly frustrated, expressed his displeasure, calling the approach reckless.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Gavaskar reacted immediately. "You've got two fielders there, and you still go for that shot, having missed the previous one. And look where you've been caught. That is throwing away your wicket. Not in the situation India was in. You have to understand the situation. You can’t just say that's your natural game. I’m sorry, that’s not your natural game. That’s a stupid shot. That’s letting your team down badly! he commented."

Gavaskar further emphasized that while Pant's attacking instincts can be valuable, his over-reliance on unorthodox shots is a significant concern in Test cricket. 

"It just seems like that’s the only way he thinks he can score runs," Gavaskar added. "If he’s not going to score runs the orthodox way, and only thinks he can go down the pitch or play these unorthodox shots, then at the Test level, you can’t always succeed. If that’s the case, he can’t bat at No. 5; he has to bat lower down the order, he remarked."

Pant’s dismissal left India struggling at 191 for 6, still trailing by 283 runs. However, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar later stabilized the innings, providing India with a fighting chance as the day progressed.