Watch: Rishabh Pant claimed a special catch to dismiss Ollie Pope in England’s first innings of the second Test at Chepauk, giving Mohammed Siraj a wicket off his very first Test delivery bowled at home.
Having been held back until the 38th over, with Virat Kohli preferring to deploy his spinners on a surface taking significant turn, Siraj’s first ball was angled down the leg-side, and Pope attempted to strike the ball away.
Instead, he only succeeded in tickling the ball fine, with Pant completing a spectacular diving take.
It made for a strange coincidence. In the first Test, Jasprit Bumrah was also playing in a Test at home for the first time, and also found an edge down the leg-side, off Rory Burns. On that occasion however, Pant couldn’t cling on, with India fans criticising a player often seen as fallible behind the sticks.
In fact, Pant almost grassed this chance too, with the ball popping out of the webbing of his glove as he hit the ground. The stumper kept his composure to regather the ball.
He added a second excellent catch later on, diving towards the slip cordon to claim a thick edge from Jack Leach.
Watch the amazing grabs below:
