Rishabh Pant’s rage on stump mic goes viral as Kuldeep Yadav delays over yet again – Watch | Cricket News
Rishabh Pant’s first outing as India’s Test captain has been anything but smooth in the second Test in Guwahati, and tensions spilled over on Day 4 when he snapped at left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav for repeatedly delaying his overs. With South Africa continuing to extend their dominance and India’s bowlers looking increasingly ineffective, Pant’s irritation grew as Kuldeep’s slow approach attracted warnings from the umpires. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri later backed Pant’s reaction, saying the spinner’s sluggishness risked putting India in trouble over their over-rate.Click here to watch: Pant shouts at Kuldeep Yadav after repeated over-rate warnings The flashpoint arrived when Kuldeep was handed the ball for the 48th over of the South African innings. The wrist-spinner took an unusually long time sorting out his field before delivering the first ball, prompting a visibly annoyed Pant to intervene. As picked up by the stump microphone, Pant told him: “Pehla ball daal de yaar… aisa mat kar. Baar baar nahi bolunga (Just bowl the first ball. Don’t do this. I won’t keep repeating myself).”
Under ICC regulations, teams must be ready to bowl the next over within 60 seconds. Two breaches trigger warnings, while a third leads to a five-run penalty — something India could ill afford as the innings dragged on. Commentating at the time, Shastri immediately pointed out that Pant’s frustration was justified. “You can hear Rishabh Pant from the back,” he said. “It is completely understandable. They’ve already been warned for taking too long between overs.” Shastri added that a bowler at this level must be aware of his field placements before starting an over. “You can’t walk in and begin moving fielders every couple of balls. One glance should tell everyone where they need to be. Once a warning comes, that first ball needs to be delivered quickly — and that’s exactly what Pant was asking for.” This was not an isolated incident. Pant had also chastised Kuldeep on Day 1 for the same issue, again caught clearly on the stump mic. “Yaar, 30 seconds ka timer hai. Ghar pe khel rahe ho kya? Ek ball daal jaldi (There’s a 30-second timer. Are you playing in your backyard? Bowl quickly),” Pant told him earlier in the match. He then reminded the bowler of the consequences: “Yaar Kuldeep, dono baar warning le li (We’ve already got two warnings).” Pant’s exasperation was evident as he added: “Pura ek over thodi na chahiye. Mazak bana rakha hai Test cricket ko (You don’t need an entire over to move around. You’re turning Test cricket into a joke).”
