Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, unhappy with Rishabh Pant's glovework in Sydney Test, said that the 21-year-old has dropped more catches than any other keeper in the world.
On Day 1 of the third Test between Australia and India, Pant dropped Will Pucovski on two occasions. Pucovski, playing his first Test, nicked the ball off Ravi Ashwin's delivery but Pant was unable to get hold of the ball.
Just three overs later, Pucovski edged Mohammed Siraj's bouncer while trying to play a pull shot. Pant, after juggling it the first time, managed to pluck the catch but replays showed that the ball had touched the ground. 22-year-old Pucovski was given another lifeline on his debut. He went on to score 62 before Navdeep Saini trapped him plumb.
“The one’s (dropped catches) today are two that should be taken, simple as that. It’s probably lucky for Rishabh that Pucovski didn’t go on and make a big hundred or a double hundred and looking at the wicket, it looks like an unbelievable surface,” Ponting told cricket.com.au.
“I’m sure when Rishabh put those catches down, he would have thought the worst and ‘here we go, he’s really going to make me pay’ but (Pucovski) didn’t today,” Ponting added. “I’ve said it all along, the knock on Rishabh is always going to be on his keeping. Since his debut in Test cricket, he’s dropped more catches than any other keeper in the world. That highlights he has got some work to do with his keeping," Ponting, who worked closely with Pant in Delhi Capitals (DC) dugout, said.
Ponting also lauded debutant Pucovski's knock and said that the youngster looked 'composed' on his debut. Pucovski stitched a century stand with Marnus Labuschagne to put the hosts in a commanding position on the first day. Australia ended the day on 166/2, with Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the middle.
“The thing I liked most was his composure. He looked really composed, he didn’t look overawed at all. He looked like he trusted his game, trusted his defence early on against some good fast bowling and just before the tea break started to expand his game a little bit; (he played) some nice cut shots, back-foot punches and some nice pull shots,” Ponting said.
