In the great game of cricket, certain things perhaps matter a lot, a great deal more than just the statistical output of the bat and the ball on which rests, undoubtedly so, the game result. Cricket is a lot more than just the runs scored or the wickets taken or the great bowling spells and also the age old adage that stands true to define the destiny of a contest: “that Catches win Matches”! On the contrary, it’s the circumstances in which a great batting feat or a fine bowling spell are birthed live in midst of a contest or during an important juncture of the game that has far reaching impact on shaping the fortunes of a contest. Wouldn’t you agree.

The same thought actually birthed a recent post-game quote from none other than the great Justin Langer, head coach, Lucknow Super Giants, a team that has, truth be told, seen far better days in the past editions of the famous Indian Premier League than what it is facing - or should one say enduring- as far as the present season in 2026 is concerned. Langer’s statement exactly pointed to a sense of selflessness which birthed an impactful inning or a knock of repute that did offer the side batting first, i.e., Lucknow SuperGiants itself a great bit of momentum and frankly, none of that would have ever happened had their captain Rishabh Pant not shown a sense of selflessness which birthed a great inning.  

For someone who had been clearly struggling with the bat up to the stage of the most recent LSG outing against the Mumbai Indians having a best score up to the point of 22, Nicholas Pooran didn’t quite look his dominant best for Lucknow. In fact, far from it. The sense of timing wasn’t there and the famous big hits had gone missing. It was a desperate situation for someone who usually nudges bowlers to the point of desperation. But then came the big game against MI and Pooran exploded like a wild cannon scoring a fine 63 off just 21, including 8 sixes.

And it had to do with the batting position in which Pooran scored his runs. Unlike the usual #4, this time around, he came into bat at three with his captain Pant deciding to drop himself down so as to give Pooran, who had been struggling with a dry patch up to that point, with a few more overs to give himself a chance to put on a whack.

A bold move

In the end, it was this calculated and much needed move that paid rich dividends for LSG and most importantly the under fire West Indian. But how would any of that had happened if Pant not dropped himself down to four and not bat at .3 which is his usual batting position.

Something that Langer described avidly by opening up on the bottle rocket that is Rishabh Pant!

Justin Langer said, "we played a practice game two days ago and Rishabh Pant got 95 off 30 balls. You look at him and say, 'oh my gosh, that's Pant at his best'. We've seen him in Tests destroy teams. He selflessly moved down to let Nicky P bat at No.3, which was unbelievable".