Rishabh Pant’s Stump Mic Rant at Kuldeep Yadav Goes Viral Amid India’s Test Struggles

Indian stand-in Test captain Rishabh Pant expressed visible frustration during the second Test against South Africa, with his comments clearly audible on the stump mic as he reprimanded spinner Kuldeep Yadav for delaying the start of his overs. The viral clip has highlighted the pressure on the Indian team, which is struggling with slow over-rates and a challenging position in the match.

The issue stems from the ICC’s new “stop-clock” rule, which requires the fielding side to start the next over within 60 seconds of the previous one finishing. Teams receive two warnings before a five-run penalty is awarded to the batting side. Pant’s repeated warnings to Kuldeep were fueled by the risk of conceding these costly penalty runs to a dominant South African side.

Pant’s frustration first surfaced on Day 1 and continued through Days 2 and 4, with his sharpest comments coming on Day 2 of the first innings: “Yaar, 30 seconds ka timer hai. Ghar pe khel rahe ho kya? Ek ball daal jaldi.” (“Buddy, there’s a 30-second timer. Are you playing at home? Just bowl one ball quickly.”)

He also said: “Yaar Kuldeep, dono baar warning le li. Pura ek over thodi na chahiye. Mazak bana rakha hai Test cricket ko.” (“Kuldeep, we’ve already got two warnings. You don’t need a whole over (to set the field). You’ve made a joke of Test cricket.”)

On Day 4 of the second innings, Pant was again heard instructing Kuldeep: “Pehla ball daal de yaar, aisa mat kar yaar, baar baar nahi bolunga main yeh.” (“Just bowl the first ball, don’t do this, I won’t keep repeating myself.”)

Pant is captaining the Test side in the absence of the injured Shubman Gill. Former India coach Ravi Shastri defended Pant, stating that his impatience was justified given the repeated over-rate warnings and the potential impact on the match.

The incident has sparked widespread discussion online, with cricket fans and analysts debating the pressures of modern Test cricket and the impact of strict over-rate regulations on team dynamics and player behavior.

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