Rishabh Pant was trolled for dropping two catches as Australia piled on the runs after opting to bat first. Pant dropped debutant Will Pucovski twice in three overs and the young opening batsman went on to hit a fabulous maiden half-century to put Australia in command. Pant was eventually trolled on social media for his lapses which proved costly for India. Fans lamented the absence of Wriddhiman Saha, who arguably has a safer pair of hands behind the wicket. India vs Australia 3rd Test 2021 Day 1 Highlights

Pant first dropped Pucovski off Ravichandran Ashwin in the final delivery of the 22nd over and then made a similar mistake three overs later this time off Mohammed Siraj. While the opportunity off Siraj’s bowling was behind him and a tad difficult, the chance off Ashwin was a regular catch. Pucovski was batting on 26 when he got the first let-off and was on 32 on the second missed opportunity. Mohammed Siraj Breaks Down in Tears During National Anthem at the Start of India vs Australia 3rd Test 2021 at SCG (Watch Video).

Twitter was furious with Pant for those two dropped catches and lashed out at him and also the team management for picking him over Saha. Take a look at some top reactions on Twitter.

Rishabh Pant on Day 1 of IND vs AUS 3rd Test

Ashwin and Siraj to Pant After Dropped Catches

Wriddhiman Saha After Rishabh Pant Dropped Catches

Pant in Indian Dressing Room After Day's Play

"You Can't Drop Catches Like These"

Saha After Pant Dropped Two Catches

Unlucky Ashwin!!

Pant Right Now...

Australia meanwhile, made most of the opportunities and piled on the runs on the scoreboard. The hosts finished day one of the third Test match on 166/2 with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne at the crease. Labuschagne was unbeaten on 67 while Smith was batting on 31 when stumps was called.

Earlier, Siraj gave India a great start by removing David Warner in the fourth over. Warner, who made a return into the Australia side after missing out the first two matches due to a groin problem, was out after edging straight to Cheteshwar Pujara at first slip. But Pucovski and Labuschagne held fort and shared a 100-run stand for the second wicket.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 07, 2021 01:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).