If you enjoy Bollywood films, you have likely seen Ghajini, featuring Aamir Khan. In this movie, his character experiences short-term memory loss and frequently forgets critical information. To keep himself on track with his objective, he makes notes and tattoos reminders on his body.
While we’re not implying that Rishabh Pant needs to go to such lengths, a simple reminder could be beneficial. Perhaps not extensive tattoos like those in Ghajini, but even a small note saying “Use spin more” might help.
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The events that unfolded against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur left many puzzled.
PANT OVERRULES HIS PRIMARY SPINNER?
When the lineup was announced, it raised eyebrows. Lucknow Super Giants opted to keep Digvesh Rathi on the bench, much like saving your best strategy for later but forgetting to execute it. Perhaps it was the concern over Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer, but Rathi had previously dismissed Priyansh Arya. Plus, with Cooper Connolly facing him for the first time, it seemed like a matchup waiting to happen.
Instead, M. Siddharth, the left-arm spinner who once dismissed Virat Kohli at Chinnaswamy, got the nod. Yet before that decision could have any impact, Punjab Kings had already accelerated. Priyansh and Connolly amassed 63 runs during the powerplay, and suddenly, LSG found themselves on the back foot.
And this is where things started to get intriguing. Or perplexing. Or a mix of both.
No spin was utilized during the powerplay. Not even a hint. The strategy appeared to focus solely on pace, while Punjab continued to capitalize.
Spin made its first appearance in the seventh over. However, it wasn’t Siddharth; Ayush Badoni was chosen instead. Badoni has taken 17 wickets from 102 T20 matches, which isn’t exactly the kind of stats that screams “emergency solution.” The outcome? 14 runs, and the momentum remained with Punjab.
Siddharth finally bowled in the eighth over, conceding 10 runs, including a boundary. In the midst of that chaos, it seemed like a solid over, one that made you think, perhaps this is the turning point.
But then came a plot twist.
Spin vanished once more. Badoni completed just that one over. Pace returned, and the subsequent three overs leaked 46 runs. At this stage, Punjab wasn’t just in the lead; they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Then came another unexpected change. Rishabh Pant reverted to spin, but this time it was Aiden Markram. What ensued felt less like a tactical decision and more like a challenge.
Markram’s over conceded 32 runs. Five sixes. Yes, five. In a single over. The kind of over that makes scorecards look erroneous.
Throughout all of this, Siddharth remained largely on the sidelines. This only added to the confusion.
At times, it genuinely felt like Ghajini. A plan was devised, forgotten, restarted, and then forgotten again. The only distinction? No tattoos saying “utilize your main spinner.”
Unsurprisingly, this drew attention. Ravichandran Ashwin questioned the matchup strategies, and Anil Kumble shared similar concerns. When a match continuously presents the same evident solution, missing it once could be deemed unfortunate. Missing it repeatedly, however, begins to resemble a trend.
“There is too much emphasis on matchups. When a left-hander is at the crease, a left-arm spinner shouldn’t be used. Siddharth bowled exceptionally well. These matchups play a significant role in decision-making. Ayush Badoni bowled just one over. But at times, you need to evaluate the ability and quality of the bowler.”
“Siddharth has performed admirably as a powerplay bowler for LSG. He bowled a solid three-over spell but couldn’t complete his quota,” Kumble remarked.
Interestingly, Siddharth claimed the crucial wicket of Priyansh with the second delivery of his second over and also dismissed Nehal Wadhera, finishing with figures of 2 for 35 in his three overs.
Thus, it was certainly a missed opportunity.
DRS MISTAKE
Then came a moment well before the chaos truly began.
Lucknow Super Giants were in a strong position. Prabhsimran Singh had returned for a duck, the energy was high, and Cooper Connolly walked in looking, let’s just say, not completely assured on four runs.
Enter Mohsin Khan with a “take a look at this” delivery.
It hit Connolly’s pads with a thud, and Mohsin immediately appealed with full conviction. Not the casual “might be out” type; this was the assertive “we’re missing something crucial” plea. At first glance, it seemed like it might be sliding down leg, but Mohsin persisted in trying to persuade Rishabh Pant.
Pant? Unconvinced. No review. Move on.
And then came the replay.
Three reds.
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Not one. Not two. Three. The kind that makes you wish DRS had a rewind feature for decisions that have already been made. A true 50-50 call, indeed. But also the kind where you take the chance because the worst-case scenario is simply “umpire’s call, review saved, no damage done.”
“Even if you believed there was a 30 percent chance of that being out, you must seize that opportunity. It was a significant one and ultimately cost them 80 runs,” Mitch McCleneghan stated.
Surely, it was a night Pant would wish he could embody Ghajini for a while, just to forget what transpired during the match.
However, it was a series of substantial errors from the Lucknow captain, and his team ended up suffering greatly as a result, facing yet another defeat.