"You Can't Do That": Anil Kumble, Dale Steyn Blast Rishabh Pant's 'Brain-Fade' With India In Trouble
Indian batters were guilty of poor shot selection on a good batting track as pacer Marco Jansen used the short ball exceptionally well to reduce the hosts to 174 for 7 at lunch on 3rd day of 2nd Test
- Rishabh Pant was dismissed playing an ill-judged hoick off Marco Jansen in the 2nd Test vs South Africa
- "You cannot do that after facing just 10 balls," Anil Kumble said about Pant's dismissal
- "You cannot win a Test in one over," Dale Steyn made a blunt observation on Pant
India are on the brink in the second Test against South Africa. Indian batters were guilty of poor shot selection on a good batting track as pacer Marco Jansen used the short ball exceptionally well to reduce the hosts to 174 for 7 at lunch on the third day of the second Test in Guwahati on Monday. From a relatively comfortable 95 for 1 with Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 off 97 balls) cruising to an attractive fifty, things suddenly went downhill for the hosts, losing the next six wickets for 27 runs. India slumped to 122 for 7 in less than half an hour into the second session.
The most disappointing was skipper Rishabh Pant's dismissal despite knowing that the team was in the doldrums. Aware of his propensity to charge down the track to pacers, Jansen cleverly shortened the length further. Pant jumped out for an ugly cross-batted hoick, and the thin edge was taken by Kyle Verreynne behind the stumps.
Pant's mode of dismissal was blasted by Anil Kumble and Dale Steyn.
"Today's batters will say, 'this is my natural game.' Then there is a situation and you need to understand it. As far as the opposition's point of view, as long as Rishabh Pant is there out in the middle, South Africa bowlers won't be comfortable. They know he can take the game away from you in a flash. You can't do that after facing just 10 balls," Anil Kumble said on Star Sports.
"It's not like this was a Kolkata pitch where every ball bowled on a good length had his name written on it. It's not like that. It's a good surface, just hang in there. You will get the loose ball. It's not like Marco Jansen is going to bowl 20 overs on the trot. He is going to bowl one spell. You have got to hang in there. This is Test match cricket. Just bat session after session. This is a pitch where you have to bat long."
"You can't win a Test in one over," Steyn said. Earlier, he posted on X: "That is just a brainfade shot."
That is just a brainfade shot
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) November 24, 2025
India's newest crisis man Washington Sundar (33 batting, 66 balls) and the determined Kuldeep Yadav (14 batting, 82 balls) added 52 runs for the unbroken eighth-wicket stand to avoid further embarrassment. But a 0-2 series defeat isn't a far-fetched thought with two more days of play left.
The pitch had no demons in it, but Jansen (4/43 in 17 overs), the man with a 6-foot-8-inch frame, extracted bounce that was disconcerting enough to trouble the Indian batters, who were indiscreet in their shot selection.
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Rishabh Pant
Dale Steyn