Watch: India had a difficult time on day one of the first Test against England in Chennai, but that didn’t stop Rishabh Pant from constantly trying to cheer his teammates up.

Joe Root and Dom Sibley’s 200-run partnership put England in a position of strength midway through the first day at Chepauk. Root, who was playing in his 100th Test, seemed to start exactly where he’d left off in Sri Lanka. The England skipper scored his third century in as many Tests, making life difficult for the home side.

While Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin were excellent in the first session, the fire of India’s attack began to fizzle out, thanks to Root’s class coupled with Sibley’s doggedness. Shoulders started to droop and the hosts looked deflated midway through the third session.

Pant, however, would have none of that. The young wicketkeeper, in his trademark style, continued to chirp away behind the wicket, motivating his bowlers and fielders.

Here are some lines from Rishabh Pant’s pep talk on day one:

“Great bowling Ash. If he’s trapped from this side, we’ll have fun.”

“The ball has gotten old. We’ll have to push for it, we’ll have to work harder, guys. Come on we’ve got it.”

“Lift your body language, guys.”

“Don’t worry Ash. The ball will now drift due to the winds.”

Pant’s energy in the field was on show on India’s tour of Australia too, with the junior player engaging in some friendly verbals with Matthew Wade, singing the Spider-Man theme tune to himself, even just letting out the odd weird howl. Back on home soil, the tendency shows no signs of letting up.

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