“That’s why you’re not head coach, just assistant coach” - Commentators sledge each other over Rishabh Pant’s dismissal in BGT 2024-25 4th Test

Former Australia player Mark Waugh took a sly dig at Michael Hussey as the latter defended how Rishabh Pant lost his wicket on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The wicket-keeper batter perished while attempting to execute an unorthodox shot in the first session, leaving India in some early trouble.

Pant being dismissed in such a fashion when India needed him the most, coupled with the fact that they were hunting down a mammoth first innings score, led to some severe reactions from the cricketing fraternity. The left-handed batter is no stranger to being dismissed unconventionally, but the decision to unleash such a shot with the score reading 191-5 was hard to digest for some.

Mark Waugh was one of the prominent figures extremely critical of Rishabh Pant's shot selection.

“That’s an awful shot when his team needed him to make an innings. I get it he’s an aggressive player and I want to see him be aggressive but you’ve still got to have some boundaries with the shots you play. There’s got to be a level of restraint and percentages in your favour and that shot falling down," the former Australia batter said on Fox Sports

Pant, however, found an ally in Michael Hussey, who remarked that such strokes are just the way he plays, and it is pointless to try to change that approach.

“It is a difficult situation because it’s not a great shot and it’s not a great look, especially for an Indian team looking to fight hard. But you don’t want to put doubt in his mind, he’s at his best when he’s clear and free and playing his natural way. I’d be disappointed with the shot, I’m sure he’d be disappointed with the shot but I don’t want him to change the way he plays,” Hussey responded

Upon being asked by Waugh, the former left-handed batter confirmed that if he was coach, he would accept a player getting out in that fashion.

Waugh unleashed a sledge by reminding Hussey that sort of thinking is the reason why he is predominantly an assistant coach rather than a head coach.

"That’s why you’re not head coach, just assistant coach," Waugh replied

Michael Hussey is part of the backroom staff for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), working closely alongside Stephen Fleming for several years. He also served as the assistant coach for the England men's team in their victorious 2022 T20 World Cup. The former Australian player is the head coach of the Welsh Fire in The Hundred.

"If you start putting too much doubt in his mind then it might just confuse him more" - Michael Hussey on Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant was dismissed for 28 runs off 37 deliveries in the first innings. He scored three boundaries at a strike rate of 75.68, but could not convert his start, which has been his tale for the entire series so far.

“It’s a hard one though isn’t it because that’s the way he likes to play, he likes to play these crazy shots and if you start putting too much doubt in his mind then it might just confuse him more. It is a poor shot, don’t get me wrong," Hussey remarked

Rishabh Pant has scored 124 runs at an average of 20.66, with a strike rate of 62.94.