"Take away all his runs so far" - England fan group's unique response to Rishabh Pant's punishment in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Team India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant received one demerit point for breaching the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct during the ongoing Test series opener against England at Headingley, Leeds. He was punished for 'showing dissent' at the umpires on Day 3.

The incident took place in the 61st over of England's first innings. Pant was visibly disappointed after the on-field officials turned down his request for a ball change. He ended up throwing the ball on the ground in frustration.

Reacting to the development, England's Barmy Army came up with a hilarious suggestion. The fan group opined that the ideal punishment for Pant would be to take back all the runs he has scored in the Test and ban him from batting in the remaining four fixtures.

England's Barmy Army wrote on X:

"The only fair punishment is to take away all of his runs so far and stop him batting in any of the remaining Tests."

Rishabh Pant proved to be a thorn in England's flesh in the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. After India were invited to bat first, the southpaw scored 134 runs off 178 balls.

He struck another century, amassing 118 runs from 140 deliveries in the subsequent essay. The 27-year-old became the first Indian wicketkeeper to hit centuries in each innings of a Test.

---

"There is obviously a method to his madness" - KL Rahul on Rishabh Pant's approach in Test cricket

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant batted brilliantly in India's second innings. Rahul also notched up a century, scoring 137 runs from 247 balls. The two stitched together a spelding 195-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

While Pant attempted a few outrageous shots on Day 4, he eventually succeeded in getting a big score under his belt. Speaking about the swashbuckling batter's knock, Rahul opined that there was a method to Pant's madness.

Rahul said after Day 4 (quoted as saying by Sky Sports):

"It is hard for us to understand his mindset but you let Rishabh Pant be Rishabh Pant. There is obviously a method to his madness as he is averaging 45 in Test cricket. There is a lot of thinking about the outrageous shots he plays. You just try to calm him down as much as possible between balls."

India set a daunting 371-run target for England. The hosts finished 21/0 at Stumps on Day 4. The Shubman Gill-led side need 10 wickets to win on the final day, while England require 350 runs for victory.