Watch: Rishabh Pant outrageously reverse-scoops James Anderson for a boundary

James Anderson got a first-hand taste of Rishabh Pant's ingenuity on Friday. Bowling with the second new ball, Anderson bowled a full delivery to the left-hander. In response, Rishabh Pant switched stance, put his weight forward and audaciously reverse-scooped the ball over the slip cordon.

Rishabh Pant didn't middle the ball, it almost came off the sticker of the bat, but it was enough to reach the boundary. The 38-year-old veteran pacer could only let out an expression of rueful appreciation as he strode back to his bowling mark.

Here's the video of Rishabh Pant's audacious reverse-scoop of James Anderson that took the batsman into the nineties:

"I will be going to bed having nightmares of Rishabh Pant hitting a reverse sweep over the keeper's head for four"- Jimmy Anderson pic.twitter.com/bZrWNbtOjK

— Bhushan (@BhushanKadam_) March 5, 2021

That boundary also swelled India's lead to 49 as the new ball bled runs galore for a tiring England attack. Rishabh Pant then pulled Joe Root over square-leg for a maximum to bring up his third Test hundred.

Rishabh Pant brings up his hundred with a SIX 💥A sensational knock from the India batsman!#INDvENG | https://t.co/6OuUwURcgX pic.twitter.com/b04djHMikJ

— ICC (@ICC) March 5, 2021

Anderson had his man soon thereafter, when Rishabh Pant miscued a pull straight to Joe Root at mid-on. But by then, the damage was already done. Team India were firmly in the ascendancy after being reduced to 80-4 on the stroke of lunch and 146-6 later in the day.

Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar's blazing partnership puts England on the back foot

Washington Sundar scored an unbeaten half-century but was happy to play second fiddle to the attacking Rishabh Pant.

Rishabh Pant arrived at the crease in the 39th over. Watchful early on against James Anderson, Pant changed gears after a well-set Rohit Sharma was back in the hut.

With Ravichandran Ashwin not scoring much, Washington Sundar arrived in the middle to join Rishabh Pant. The two left-handers first took India into the lead before going on a rampage against the second new ball. In the five overs with the second new ball before Rishabh Pant got out, England conceded a whopping 36 runs.

By the time Pant got out, India led by 54 runs. At stumps on Day 2, that lead swelled to 89 runs.

It's Stumps on Day 2 of the 4⃣th @Paytm #INDvENG Test! #TeamIndia 294/7, lead England by 89 runs. @RishabhPant17 1⃣0⃣1⃣@Sundarwashi5 6⃣0⃣*Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/9KnAXjaKfb Join us tomorrow for Day 3⃣ action! pic.twitter.com/oRbJ569oZK

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 5, 2021

With the well-set Washington Sundar and Axar Patel looking good to score a few more runs, England are staring at another defeat unless they are able to conjure something out of the ordinary.