Team India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant agonisingly missed out on a well-deserved hundred on day four of the opening Test against New Zealand at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The left-hander fell for 99 as he inside-edged back onto the stumps, with the spectators at the stadium in disbelief following the event.
The dismissal occurred in the 89th over of the innings as O'Rourke sent down a back of a length delivery that generated extra bounce. The left-handed batter tried to fend it, but could only get an inside edge and it hit the stumps eventually. It was the second wicket of the session for New Zealand, having earlier gotten rid of Sarfaraz Khan for 50.
It was also the seventh occasion that Pant had fallen in the 90s as KL Rahul, who was at the non-striker's end, succumbed to his knees in disappointment.
India into the lead after a sensational partnership between Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan:
Meanwhile, India began the day on 231/3, having lost Virat Kohli in the final ball on day three. But Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan gave nothing away to the opposition bowlers in the opening session, while also scoring runs in the form of boundaries at will.
Sarfaraz scored his first Test hundred in the first session and his wicket at 150 ended his 177-run partnership with Pant. At the time of writing this, the home side were bowled out for 462, with O'Rourke taking three scalps and Matt Henry taking as many, leaving the tourists with a 107-run target.
