Pant, Gill Played Mind Games With Bashir By Talking In Hindi: Sachin Tendulkar

The sport of cricket has seen few better, smarter and sharper minds than the great Sachin Tendulkar, and the legendary batter took to X (formerly Twitter) to point out something very fascinating he observed during the first two days of the ongoing Headingley Test between India and England.

Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, both of whom scored tons, spent no less than 49 overs batting together, and in those overs, they faced roughly 18 overs of spin from Shoaib Bashir.

Sachin observed how the pair consciously conversed loudly in Hindi to play mind games with Bashir, who is someone who understands the language.

“Noticed something interesting during Bashir’s spell. Shubman and Rishabh were speaking loudly in Hindi between deliveries. It wasn’t just casual talk. They were playing mind games with the bowler, trying to disrupt his rhythm. These minor details may not appear on the scoreboard, but they can have a significant impact on the game,” Sachin wrote on X.

In the same post, Sachin also lavished praise on Pant’s unconventional but effective way of playing the scoop shot, where he falls down to get more elevation.

“Rishabh's falling paddle sweep is not accidental. It is intentional and extremely clever. Going down with the shot allows him to get under the ball and scoop it over leg slip with control,” Sachin wrote. 

On day two, India collapsed from 430/3 to 471 all-out.