Indian star batter Rishabh Pant missed out on a well-deserving century in the India vs New Zealand 1st Test in Bengaluru. The wicketkeeper star was dismissed on 99 as William ORourke got the better of him one short of a century. With the new ball doing some movement, Pant played on a delivery that swung into the left-hander, taking his inside edge and shattering onto the stumps.
Meanwhile, Pant has joined a few star wicketkeepers in an unwanted list. He has become only the fourth wicketkeeper in Test history to be dismissed on 99. He joins the list featuring, MS Dhoni, Brendon McCullum and Jonny Bairstow.
Wicketkeepers to be dismissed on 99 in Tests:
Brendon McCullum (NZ) vs SL, Napier, 2005
MS Dhoni (IND) vs ENG, Nagpur, 2012
Jonny Bairstow (ENG) vs SA, Old Trafford, 2017
Rishabh Pant (IND) vs NZ, Bengaluru, 2024
Pant and Sarfaraz Khan took India forward on Day 4 of the Test match. Standing 125 runs behind New Zealand at the start of Day 4, the two brought the hosts into the lead in the second session. Sarfaraz went on to smash a century and then 150 before falling after a new ball came in. The new cherry sent down a flurry of wickets with the New Zealand pacers getting Sarfaraz on 150 before dismissing Pant on 99. KL Rahul also departed soon on 12 as India went to tea at 438/6.
India were bowled out for just 46 in the first innings as the seam bowling conditions rattled them for their lowest score at home. Pant was the highest scorer with 20 in the first innings, while Yashasvi Jaiswal hit 13. Apart from these two, none of the batters could reach the double digits.
In reply, New Zealand racked up a huge score of 402 with Rachin Ravindra scoring 134. Tim Southee also chipped in with a crucial contribution of 65. He partnered Rachin for a 137-run stand for the eighth wicket.
