# Rishabh Pant under fire after Galle dismissal for 39 2026-08-16T16:50:25+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Rishabh Pant has drawn sharp criticism after his dismissal for 39 against Sri Lanka on Day 2 of the first Test in Galle. The wicketkeeper-batter stepped out to off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha and lofted the ball straight to Sonal Dinusha at mid-off, failing to convert a start into a big score. Rediff.com reports fans have called him a 'waste of talent' and demanded his removal from the Test team, while timesnownews.com notes that his competition Dhruv Jurel scored 51 in the same innings. Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, speaking on Sony Sports via timesnownews.com, criticised Pant's lack of 'common sense' and 'cricketing logic', especially after Sri Lanka took the new ball. 'He was left way behind in logic and cricketing sense,' Kaif said, adding that other aggressive batters show better judgement. However, ex-India batter Ajinkya Rahane, quoted by rediff.com, defended Pant's natural style but stressed he must 'learn to understand the team's message'. Pant's recent returns have been poor: 49 runs in four innings against South Africa and 81 in one innings against Afghanistan. Fans and pundits alike are questioning his consistency, with some urging the selectors to drop him. The Test continues in Galle, with India needing to rebuild its middle order. ## Coverage - rediff.com - timesnownews.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T02:20:40+00:00. Tags: Ajinkya Rahane, Galle, Mohammad Kaif, Rishabh Pant, Sri Lanka Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/pant-under-fire-after-another-poor-dismissal-in-galle-test/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/pant-under-fire-after-another-poor-dismissal-in-galle-test/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/