While Pant notched up an unbeaten ton, Pandya scored a brisk 55-ball 71 as the two batters stitched a partnership of 133 runs for the fifth wicket after India were reduced to 72/4
Riding on an emphatic performance from Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya, India clinched the three-match ODI series against England after beating the hosts by 5 wickets in the third and deciding clash. Chasing 260, the Men in Blue went over the line in the 43rd over.
While Pant notched up an unbeaten ton, Pandya scored a brisk 55-ball 71 as the two batters stitched a partnership of 133 runs for the fifth wicket after India were reduced to 72/4.
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has hailed the two players’ efforts and compared Pant’s knock to that of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif that came during the final of the NatWest Trophy back in 2002. Yuvraj and Kaif had helped India come out of a tricky situation during the final against England after the Sourav Ganguly-led side was reduced to 146/5.
The left-right batting duo had then scored 121 runs for the sixth wicket. Kaif scored 87* while Yuvraj struck 69 as India eventually won the match and the final by two wickets.
“Pant’s innings reminded me of Yuvraj and Kaif in the Natwest Trophy final. Even there, the top-order batters were gone in a collapse, the youngsters helped India cross the line,” said Kaneria on his Youtube channel.
“Pandya and Pant also similarly put up a crucial partnership. They broke the bowling unit. Pandya is in a great rhythm now, he has worked really hard on his fitness.”
The former right-arm spinner also lauded Pant for showing maturity and added that he would become a “world class player”.
“Rishabh Pant played with a lot of maturity, he is going to be a world-class player. There are only a few players who can match him in terms of talent. He can even convert his 100s to 200, that’s how big a player he is. He is extremely confident as well. If you have players like Pandya and Pant, targets like these become easier to chase,” he said.
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