Since the last Test, Rishabh Pant has been acting like a scolded school kid, not going after big shots but defending and taking blows. At Sydney, on day 1, he took four blows, one on his arm, one on his helmet, and two on his ribs. Despite that, he has been calm. However, for a moment, he gave up his defence. In the third ball of the 46th over, Beau Webster gave him a length delivery, which Rishabh Pant stepped out and smacked for a long six over the long off. It went and hit the white screen sheds, and the groundmen became busy running with ladders to bring the ball down. After hitting the shot, Rishabh Pant stood there holding the pose, staring at the ball, probably admiring his shot. Watch the video here: A six so big the ground staff needed a ladder to retrieve it!#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/oLUSw196l3 — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 3, 2025 Read also: How the Gambhir era might be a threat to Bumrah's magic Rishabh Pant strapped up During the overs break, the physio came and strapped Rishabh Pant on his arms. A rapid fall of wickets from the top order left Rishabh and Ravindra Jadeja early in front of the Aussie bowlers. However, Rishabh Pant is not going after the bowlers as he normally does. His defence reflects the scorecard, as he faced 80 balls, scoring just 32 runs, before Tea was called. Even in the second inning at Melbourne, he was more on his defence but got dismissed due to a mistimed shot. Sunil Gavaskar, who thrashed Pant's shot selection in Melbourne's first inning, calling him "stupid," sounded wary, fearing that the Indian dressing room may carve away Rishabh's natural talent. At least, his wit and aggression made him what he is, acknowledged Gavaskar.