Watch | Rishabh Pant’s relentless energy behind the stumps

The highlight of the first day of the first Test between India and England was Joe Root’s special century, which he achieved in his 100th Test match, playing for England. While Root played beautiful cricket, Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant remained peppy behind the stumps to revive the falling energy of the Indian fielders. 

In the 70th over, when Sundar was bowling to Sibley, Pant’s comment was caught on the mic, in which he was heard saying, “Mera naam hai Washington, mujhe jana hai DC” (My name is Washington, I want to go to DC).

Board Of Cricket Control In India (BCCI) tweeted a video of that particular incident on its Twitter handle.

Also Read: In his 100th Test, Joe Roots hits history-making century

The young gloveman’s antics have been in the spotlight since his short banter with Australian skipper Tim Paine during India’s 2018-19 tour Down Under.

Pant, who showed spectacular performance in the unprecedented match in Australia, was selected ahead of Wriddhiman Saha for the series opener.

Also Read: ‘Would have been a great asset’: Gautam Gambhir expresses surprise at selection of Nadeem over Kuldeep

Kohli added that Pant worked diligently on all aspects of his game and had impact performances under his belt coming into the four-match Test series against England.

Pant’s casual remarks left netizens in splits. Here are a few reactions of the Indian fans:

On the match front, England ended the first day at 263/3. Joe Root remained unbeaten on 128 as Jasprit Bumrah removed Dominic Sibley for 87 on the last over of the day.