'Stupid...That was a stupid shot': Gavaskar furious with Rishabh Pant's dismissal in 4rd Test

Rishabh Pant came under heavy criticism from Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday after his dismissal to Scott Boland in the fourth Test against Australia. India had hoped for a solid partnership between Pant and Ravindra Jadeja on Day 3, but Pant's departure proved costly.

Seamer Scott Boland, who taken 3-49, removed the aggressive Pant for 28 off 37 balls before off-spinner Nathan Lyon accounted for Jadeja for 17.

Pant, batting at the time, was hit in the naval area when attempting a shot off Boland, who had come around the wicket. While he appeared to be in some discomfort, Pant failed to recognize that Australian captain Pat Cummins had stationed fielders at deep fine-leg and deep third man to cover both the conventional and reverse lap shots.

On the very next delivery, Pant tried the same shot again, but the extra bounce caused him to top-edge the ball to third man, where he was caught easily. The dismissal left Gavaskar furious, who reacted by saying, “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” He went on to accuse Pant of "throwing away" his wicket at a critical moment for India.

"You've got two fielders there, and you still go for that shot," Gavaskar said. "You missed the previous one, and now you’re caught at deep third man. That’s throwing away your wicket, especially in the situation India was in. You have to understand the context of the game. You can't say it’s your natural game—sorry, that was a stupid shot. He’s letting his team down badly. He should not be going into that Indian dressing room; he should be going into the other one," Gavaskar added on ABC Sport.

Reddy, Sundar lead India fightback to 326-7 against Australia

Young all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar led a day three rearguard Saturday as India battled back to 326-7 in the fourth Test against Australia.

In overcast conditions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Reddy posted a maiden Test half-century and was 85 not out before light rain caused tea to be called 15 minutes early.

Sundar was equally defiant on 40 off 115 balls in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 105 to leave India still trailing by 148 runs.

The pair batted through the second session in largely untroubled fashion, passing the follow-on mark and seeing off the second new ball to frustrate the home side, who have been in the driving seat since posting 474 in their first innings.

They held up Australia's push for a win that would put them 2-1 up going into the fifth and final Test in Sydney next week.

Batting at number eight in an Indian line-up that has largely struggled for runs, Reddy has been a shining light in his debut series.

The 21-year-old's 264 runs have come at an average of 66, although he had fallen narrowly short of 50 on several occasions. (With inputs from AFP)