"I'll give him an 8/10" - Shaun Pollock's verdict on veteran Team India star after Day 1 of IND vs SA 2025 2nd Test

Former South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock believes Rishabh Pant impressed as captain on Day 1 of the second Test in Guwahati. With regular skipper Shubman Gill out due to a neck injury, Pant is leading the Test side for the first time in his career in the ongoing game.

The veteran wicketkeeper also led the side in the second half of the series opener in Kolkata, where India suffered a 30-run defeat. However, Pant ensured his side got timely wickets on the opening day of the second Test by constantly ringing in the changes,

The Proteas finished the day on an underwhelming 247/6 in 81.5 overs on a seemingly batting-friendly surface.

When asked to rate Rishabh Pant's performance as captain on Day 1, Pollock told Cricbuzz (9:13):

"He gets a lot of points just for keeping mid off and mid on up for the spinners. And it brought two wickets for India. It was a harder surface to captain as there wasn't much going on. He showed the patience that was required and came up with several plans because of the old-fashioned nature of today. So I'll give him an 8/10 for the day. His energy levels were great too."

Pant divided the overs almost in half between the seamers and spinners, with the former bowling 38.5 of the 81.5 overs.

"They needed to be a little bit fuller" - Shaun Pollock on the Indian pacers

Shaun Pollock believes India's opening bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, could have utilized the new ball better on Day 1 at Guwahati. The visitors got off to a terrific start at 82/0 despite the Indian seamers deriving movement from the surface.

Furthermore, the South African legend criticised India's third seaming option, Nitish Kumar Reddy, for a pedestrian four-over spell.

"Both the seamers got nice movement upfront. I just think they needed to be a little bit fuller and make the batters drive. Nitish Reddy was short of a gallop and offered up a lot of balls to hit," said Pollock (via the aforementioned source).

Nitish served up plenty of loose deliveries, conceding 21 runs off his four overs, after missing the opening Test. However, the two specialist seamers, Bumrah and Siraj, bounced back in style, picking up a wicket each just before tea and close of play, respectively.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran