In the current Boxing Day Test, legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar blasted Rishabh Pant for his absurd dismissal, calling it “a stupid shot” and claiming that the wicketkeeper-batter failed his side when they needed him to bat for a long time.

The output is:Pant attempted to play a falling ramp shot against Scott Boland in the 56th over, but he inside-edged the ball into his stomach. In case Pant duplicated the shot, Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, had fielders deep in fine leg and third man.

Pant attempted a similar hit on the next ball, but to his dismay, the top edge went to Nathan Lyon at deep third man. The batsman was removed for 28 from 37 balls, leaving Gavaskar furious.

“Stupid, foolish, foolish! You still aim for it even if there are two fielders there. Look where you’ve been caught—you missed the last shot.

That’s a waste of your wicket. You can’t claim to be naturally good at that. I apologize. You’re not naturally good at it. It’s an idiotic shot. That is really disappointing your team. You must also comprehend the circumstances. He should be heading to the other dressing room instead of that one (India’s),” Gavaskar said on ABC Sport.

Pant has only averaged 20.66 in this series so far, with a top score of 37. Cummins’ spot-on field placement to get Pant out was praised by former men’s player Kerry O’Keeffe and Australia’s women’s skipper Alyssa Healy on Fox Cricket.

“You get the impression that Pant was put there for that particular photo. They also had a backward square, a nice leg, and two deep (fielders) on the leg side, waiting for something similar,” O’Keeffe observed.

“Obviously Rishabh didn’t mean the ball to go to Nathan Lyon, but with two out on the leg side, it’s a risky shot,” said Alyssa.

O’Keeffe said, “Pat was smiling; he knew he had the field right there.”

Gavaskar, meanwhile, recommended that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy be moved up the batting order since the young player is more mature and cognizant of the circumstances of the game. Reddy demonstrated his excellent footwork and initiative to stay under 40 before lunch.

Reddy has been a surprise at bat in the series, displaying poise and maturity on his debut Australian trip. He bats with a lot of responsibility; thus, he needs to be moved up the order. He is very conscious of the situation when he bats. Being aware of the circumstances is crucial while playing Test cricket.