Balwinder Singh Sandhu says Rishabh Pant’s run out before lunch wasn’t the real turning point in Lord’s Test

1983 World Cup-winning Indian player Balwinder Singh Sandhu reckons Rishabh Pant’s run out before lunch wasn’t the real turning point in the Lord’s Test against England. After England posted 387 runs on the board in the first innings, India was going strongly at 248-3.

But just before lunch on day three, Pant and KL Rahul attempted a risky single and the former could not make his ground at the non-striker’s end with Ben Stokes directly hitting the stumps. Pant was dismissed on 74 and the run-out ended a 141-run alliance between the two batters.

Sandhu, who returned with figures of 2-32 in the World Cup final against the West Indies, said the run out must have created panic in the dressing room and it is the support staff’s role to keep positive energy.

Sandhu wrote in his Mid-Day column, “Rishabh Pant’s run out before lunch wasn’t the real turning point. What followed after is where things began to shift. He was looking good, well set, so once he got out, the atmosphere in the dressing room changed. It’s up to the support staff to keep things relaxed and positive at such moments. If they can’t, then the silence, the stiff looks, the lack of words – everything gets magnified. And that creates pressure which is felt by everyone in the room.

“This tension spreads fast, players start doubting themselves, and it becomes difficult to stay calm and think clearly out in the middle. For me, the noise inside the dressing room – the glances, the quiet blame – is louder and more damaging than what experts or commentators say outside.”

The former medium pacer said India should have stuck to the basics while chasing a below-par score of 193. India was left reeling at 112-8 and it was always going to be a herculean task from there even though Ravindra Jadeja scored a valiant knock of 61 runs but it was not enough in the end.

“Instead of sticking to the basics and playing with calm intent, the Indian batters seemed to let doubt and fear creep in. The pitch started playing on their minds more than the ball. In the fourth innings, chasing even a small target is never easy -it becomes a mental battle. And under pressure, even the smallest mistakes start to feel massive,” he wrote.

The fourth Test match between England and India will be played at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, from July 23 onwards.